


What Secrets We Hide

by thatmitchsentho



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Gen, because why the fuck not, superpower au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 05:58:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10587858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatmitchsentho/pseuds/thatmitchsentho
Summary: Beca Mitchell lands at university an absolute wreck and all alone, carrying a massive secret.She has powers.But, she soon learns, she's not so alone. Aubrey and Chloe and the rest of the Bellas are all like her - a little, anyway. Nobody knows just what she's capable of, not even Beca herself, or what other secrets she's carrying. But she's not the only one covering up things in her past, and eventually everything's going to come spilling out.





	1. Chapter 1

Beca Mitchell sat on the edge of her bed and looked nervously down at her hands. Here she was. College. She didn’t really want to be here. It was too… unpredictable. And because it was unpredictable, it was dangerous.

 

She understood, of course. Her dad wanted to keep her close. Keep an eye on her. But she didn’t understand why she had to be specifically here. She could be near her dad and not be at school. His proclamation that she needed to be socialized at some point was ludicrous. He was the one who kept her away from everyone growing up, kept her from accidentally telling everyone her secret.

 

Beca had powers.

 

It wasn’t unheard of. It wasn’t common, that was a fact. She knew there were other people out there who had powers. Not many. And she knew there were definitely people out there who were afraid of people like her. Terrified. A lot of them. People who thought she and everyone else like her should be studied, examined, kept for research but definitely not allowed in normal society.

 

Her dad had instructed her to not use powers, obviously. Because sometimes people like her were killed, hurt, captured. Because the biggest fear of the public was that people who were powerful like her running around would surely do something. What, Beca wasn’t sure. But her dad had made sure she kept them to herself. Especially after her mother.

 

Which had worked until she was fourteen. That was when puberty had well and truly set in, and also when her powers had fully developed. She had kept it from him initially, because every time she slipped and something happened, she could hear her dad’s voice in her head.

 

_It’s not normal, Beca! Don’t ever let them see what you are. It isn’t right. Imagine how they’d look at us then? If they learn what you’ve done, it’ll be too much to bear._

She didn’t know how to control them, she’d never learned how. She’d spent years and years being afraid of her own abilities and her dad refused to help her. There were accidents when she couldn’t control herself, but he’d just shake his head at her and remind her that nobody would like her once they knew the truth. There was nobody to turn to for help, there was nobody to turn to for comfort. So nobody knew except her and her dad.

 

She had no idea how she was supposed to make friends like this. Constantly being afraid that she was going to relax just a little too much and break something or hurt someone. People just thought she was naturally anxious, tightly wound, reclusive. She was terrified. Of hurting people, of the way they would look at her, of what they’d think once they learned about her mom, of what would happen if the wrong person found out what she could do.

 

She felt like the room was starting to close in on her. And in her experience, that was bad. So she took some deep breaths, grabbed her headphones and left the stifling room behind. The quad was packed with people but it was open and that’s all that mattered. She slammed her headphones on and turned up the music to drown out the almost-buzzing sound reverberating in her skull that was threatening to overwhelm her. And she walked in the same direction as the rest of the crowd, toward the Barden University Activities Fair.

 

Chloe Beale stood next to her best friend Aubrey Posen at a booth at said fair. Their booth was advertising the Barden Bellas, an all female acapella group. But they were looking for more than that. They were looking for other people like them. People with powers.

 

Chloe was doing most of the work, admittedly. Part of her gift was that she was power-empathic. So when she was fifteen and Aubrey moved to town straight away, Chloe knew exactly what she was, the second she’d walked into homeroom. They’d been best friends ever since. And now they had started the Bellas, because they wanted to find others like them. Not to do anything that people should be worried about. But to have friends who understood.

 

Aubrey’s parents were not exactly thrilled about her powers. Or at all happy with them. There’d been a therapist. A medical facility, really, where she was sent to deal with things. But she’d returned just as closed off, and now distrusting of just about anyone. But with Chloe she found the first person that didn’t discourage her from admitting what she was. Someone who didn’t look down on her because of what she could do. Someone who believed that she was inherently good despite her power. And now she had formed the Bellas with Chloe so they would both have a safe place.

 

Chloe was scanning the crowd and picking out the few people who were like them. They’d managed to find a handful so far, and once Chloe had targeted them, all it took was a quiet conversation and they were pretty much on board. Isolated people looking for something that makes them feel like a group and not a part of ‘the other’, the thing to be feared. They’d all felt so grateful. It made them more sure than ever that they were doing the right thing.

 

It was after lunch when Chloe felt her first. She felt a lot stronger than the other people she’d sensed already that day - stronger than almost every other powered person she’d ever met. She scanned the oncoming swell of people, trying to find the source of where it was coming from.

 

“Her,” Chloe said, nudging her best friend.

 

“Who?” Aubrey said.

 

“The little one with the headphones on,” Chloe said. “She’s definitely one of us.” Aubrey stepped into her path and jolted her out of her daze.

 

“Hi, can we talk to you?” she asked. The girl tugged a set of headphones down and looked at her with a slightly scared impression.

 

“No,” she said. She attempted to move around her, but Chloe was in the way.

 

“We want to talk to you about your…” Chloe gave her a pointed look. “We know what you are.”

 

“What I am is leaving,” Beca said, instantly a lot more afraid. Why were these strangers coming after her? What did they want?

 

“We’re like you,” the blonde said insistently, taking hold of her arm. Beca immediately yanked her arm away.

 

“Leave me alone,” she said. “You don’t know me or anything about me.” She hurried off through the crowd, using her size as an advantage to get away unseen.

 

“That… did not go as expected,” Aubrey said.

 

“She’s powerful,” Chloe said, following her trajectory with her eyes. “But it’s almost like she’s afraid of her power.” Beca hurried back to her dorm, but didn’t want to sit inside. She headed up the stairwell toward the roof. A large sign proclaimed that roof access was for maintenance workers only and that the door was locked. Beca wrapped her hand around the knob anyway and twisted until she heard the crunch of the lock breaking. She pushed the door open and found herself alone on the roof. Not wanting to be spotted, she huddled down next to a vent unit, the vibrations and constant whirr proving calming. She wrapped her arms around her knees and scrunched her eyes closed, rocking back and forth just slightly and humming to herself. Once she felt sufficiently calm she opened her eyes and sighed.

 

She did not want to be here.

 

But she was, and there was nothing she can do about it. Quietly making her way back to the broken door, she let herself back inside and headed down to her room. She was sharing with a disinterested and quiet Korean, which was fine by her. If they didn’t talk, there’d be no way the girl - Kimmy something - would learn about her powers. There was no relentless inquisition. No friendly questions about family or home towns or hobbies.

 

Beca quietly went about her first week on campus, trying her best not to get noticed and trying her best not to get overwhelmed. And when things did begin to get overwhelming, she pretty consistently headed to the roof. She liked the feeling of being alone without being shut up in a small space. Small spaces just made everything worse.

 

_“Beca you’re going to have to stay in here until you’ve calmed down!” her father yelled. He shoved her small ten year old form into the room and closed the door. It was an old alcove in the basement, where a hot water system might have been. Now it was cold, and concrete, and her father had paid someone to put a heavy steel door on the gap. He’d called it a panic room, which she hadn’t understood. Once she’d looked it up she learned it was supposed to be a place where the person was safe from what was happening outside. But every time she got tossed in there she wondered if she was going to die. Outside wasn’t the problem. Inside was._

_Her breathing was rapid and she couldn’t get it to slow while she was crying. Eventually she sank to the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. She began to hum to herself to try and calm down, and she slowly rocked back and forth._

So if she was going to be in confined spaces with groups, she at least wanted to be left alone so nobody would ask her what was wrong. She had to keep a handle on it in the dorms, but her roommate never paid her any attention. And lecture halls were big enough that it didn’t worry her too much unless they were really crowded. She just tended to sit toward the back and duck out if she had to. The only other problem she had was the shower block. The stalls were small, but she didn’t need to be in there long. She tried to time it so that she was there when it was close to empty as possible, humming or singing to keep calm while she washed herself.

 

It was late one night when she made her way down there, fairly certain she was late enough that she would most likely be alone. She turned the water on and was just about to step under the spray when she heard a noise. She wasn’t alone. She tensed up, but figured she was already naked now, she may as well shower as quickly as she could and get out.

 

Chloe had been in the showers - not alone - but she’d felt the other girl’s presence as soon as she’d come into the room. She recognized that energy. It was raw and unstable and powerful. She’d pushed away from the boy with her in the stall immediately and pulled back her curtain to figure out exactly where she was. He’d said something in anger as he’d left, but Chloe was ignoring him. There was only one other occupied stall. There was soft humming coming from it, so she made her way over and tugged the curtain back slowly.

 

“It’s you,” Chloe breathed, seeing the little brunette from the activities fair.

 

“What the actual fuck!?” Beca exclaimed, snatching the curtain in an attempt to cover herself. “What are you doing?” Chloe made a ‘quiet down’ gesture and stepped into the stall, pulling the curtain behind her.

 

“I remember you,” Chloe said. “From the activities fair. You practically ran away when Aubrey and I said we know what you are.” Beca went rigid.

 

“You don’t.” She felt her body start to tense up.

 

“I do,” Chloe said understandingly. “Relax, okay? My name is Chloe. And I’m empathic. To people like us, it means I can sense your power. So I know how many of us there are on campus at any given time. And how strong they are. You don’t need to be afraid of me. I don’t want to hurt you, I swear.” Beca was just staring at her.

 

“You can… sense me?” she asked, looking away from the girl’s bright blue eyes.

 

“You were easy to pick out,” Chloe said. “You’re really powerful. But you also seem to be really afraid of your power. Aubrey and I can help you with that. You’ll be safe. There’s a group of us. All with different gifts. We aren’t looking to take over the world or anything, just have a space where we can be comfortable being what we truly are. Without being afraid.”

 

“Would I have to - show you all? What I can do?”

 

“Not if you don’t want to,” Chloe said, and it sounded like she meant it. “What’s your name?”

 

“Beca,” she replied. “Mitchell.”

 

“Well, Beca, I understand that you might not be comfortable with it,” Chloe said. “But if you come and hang out with us you won’t have to pretend that you’re something you’re not. And you won’t have to be afraid. And sometimes that can be all the difference.”

 

“Where?” Beca asked. She was beginning to come around, but if they met in some godforsaken hole, she would never go anywhere near them.

 

“There’s an old auditorium we’ve been given the okay to use in the empty theatre building,” Chloe said. “We’ve registered as an acapella group so we don’t arouse suspicion.”

 

An old auditorium might be okay. Big. Airy. And she didn’t mind music. She took a few deep breaths as she thought about it for a moment. The redhead didn’t seem to be going anywhere in a hurry, or even attempting to shield her naked self from Beca in any way.

 

“Chloe?” she said hesitantly.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I will come and meet you guys,” Beca promised. “I swear. But right now I still need to shower and I can’t do that with you standing right there.”

 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Chloe said. “Sorry for intruding. You’re kind of like a magnet to someone like me. Are you on this floor?”

 

“16,” Beca said with a nod.

 

“I’ll leave you a note,” Chloe said. “And don’t worry Beca. We’re safe. You’ll be safe, I promise.” And then she disappeared. Beca closed her eyes for a second. There was something about that girl. She was an empath, which explained a lot of it. But it was the eyes. As she was promising that she’d be safe, Beca couldn’t look away. She believed her. She wanted to believe her; she wanted it more than anything.

 

After she returned to her room post-shower, there was a small note tucked under the door. Beca snagged it and unfolded the paper. It was the directions to the auditorium and the words _eight pm tomorrow_. She immediately scrunched it up so that nobody would find it and tucked it inside her toiletries case before she let herself back into the room.

 

Her roommate was already asleep, so she moved as quietly as she could, slipping under the covers and pulling her blanket up. She felt hopeful, for a change. Hopeful that this girl with the really blue eyes and her friends might be the safety and freedom she was looking for. As she fell asleep, she repeated the words over and over like a mantra. _Don’t worry. We’re safe. You’ll be safe. Don’t worry. We’re safe. You’ll be safe._

She was a nervous wreck through most of the next day. She could only manage a little bit of food at dinner, and when the clock on her nightstand finally hit 7:45, she grabbed her bag, jammed her headphones on and slouched out. She had consulted the map she’d been given in her welcome pack in order to locate the auditorium. She made her way across campus quietly, head down, ignoring the people milling around, all seeming to fit in better than she did.

 

As she approached the right building, she glanced around. There was another girl headed toward the door from the opposite direction, so Beca paused out of sight until she was sure absolutely nobody was going to see her. She entered and walked down the hallway, until she saw the redhead waiting on a chair. It seemed that she was waiting for her, because she stood up when she saw Beca coming.

 

“Hi,” Chloe said softly. “I’m really glad you came, Beca.”

 

“I don’t know what I’m expecting,” was all she could say in return.

 

“Just relax,” Chloe said. “We’re going to eat some pizza. Talk. And not about anything in particular. There’s no meet and greet, no two truths and a lie, nothing like that. Just a space to hang out.” Beca nodded, her head ducking down, and Chloe had to hold back a frown. There was something off about this girl, she just couldn’t pin it down exactly.

 

“You ready?” Chloe asked softly. “I already told Bree that you don’t want to talk about it or show anyone. Nobody will ask you to.”

 

“Okay,” Beca said. She hesitantly followed Chloe into the room. There was a handful of other girls there, not too many. The blonde from the activities fair was missing, and the rest were spread out on the floor on oversized cushions or beanbags.

 

“Hey everyone,” Chloe called. “This is Beca.”

 

“Hey,” one of the girls replied. “I’m Stacie.” The other girls introduced themselves and Beca awkwardly dropped to the ground onto a cushion next to Chloe. At that moment, Aubrey arrived with an armload of pizzas and dropped them into the center of the group. A tall brunette was right behind her with drinks and cups.

 

“Sorry, we’re late,” she said. “Clearly scheduled pick up times don’t matter to pizza places. Go for it guys.”

 

“While you’re eating,” Chloe said as the girls began opening boxes, “we just want to say a few things.” The blonde took over.

 

“We aren’t looking to form some weird cult or superhero gang here,” she said. “But the both of us know how lonely and isolating it is being one of us. People are afraid for no reason. People automatically assume you’re using your powers for your own benefit or the detriment of others. Bellas is supposed to be a safe space where you don’t have to worry about judgment. You don’t have to worry about scaring anyone. And you don’t even have to talk about your power if you don’t want to.”

 

“If we don’t talk about them, how do we know that someone isn’t just here to get some kind of news story or something?” one of the other girls asked. She looked a little nervous, too.

 

“Because I picked you all,” Chloe said. “I’m power empathic, which means I can sense when someone around me has powers and how strong they are. I personally know that each and every girl here is gifted. You can’t fake that. So please, if you’re comfortable talking about it, go ahead. But if someone chooses not to talk about it, we’d ask you to respect that as well.”

 

“Okay,” said another girl. “I’m just glad I’m not the only one like me out there.”

 

“And as far as administration is concerned,” Aubrey said, “We’re an acapella group. We figure there are enough of them on campus that one more will go unnoticed. But we might have to deal with a cover of some kind at some point.”

 

“I can help with that,” Beca said without thinking. It was only just audible to everyone in the room.

 

“Sorry?” Aubrey said.

 

“I can help with that,” Beca said a little louder. “The music thing. I can help with that.” She was gripping her slice of pepperoni tighter than necessary.

 

“Relax,” Chloe said softly. She tried to take a deep breath.

 

“Great,” Aubrey said. “You’re Beca? Chloe told me you’d be coming. Glad to have you.” The smaller girl nodded and returned to her pizza. They all dug in to the food, and eventually fell into conversation. Beca spoke quietly only when she was spoken to, but Chloe felt like she was warming up to the group as the night wore on. Aubrey sat herself near to Beca a little later, intent on getting to know the other girl a bit better. Chloe had told her she was coming along but that she steadfastly didn’t want to talk about her power. Aubrey naturally felt a connection to her.

 

“So you’re into music?” Aubrey asked.

 

“Yeah,” Beca said. “I mean, I could probably fake a couple songs and we could just play them at full volume.”

 

“You could do it all yourself?” Aubrey asked, impressed.

 

“Sure,” Beca shrugged. “What, like eight to ten vocals? No problem.” Aubrey was looking at her with a curious expression, and Beca felt like she was being sized up. She began to stiffen and felt uncomfortable.

 

“Relax,” Aubrey said. “I’m not going to ask about it. And neither is anyone else.”

 

“Can Chloe tell?” Beca asked suddenly. “What it is?” She’d wondered about that all day long. Worried, really. Because if she could tell what it was, she was out. Nobody needed to know.

 

“No,” Aubrey said. “She can sense gifted people and she can gauge how strong their abilities are. But she can’t tell what their gift is, so you don’t have to worry.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Beca said. “I just don’t… it’s not something I can talk about.”

 

“It’s okay,” Aubrey assured her. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to talk about it.” Beca looked around the group. Most of the others had been freely discussing their gifts with one another. In fact, the only person who hadn’t -

 

“You?” Beca asked.

 

“It’s complicated,” Aubrey said. Then she chuckled. “I’m sure you understand. But if anyone gives you a hard time about it, come see me. I can promise I will never ask you about yours, because I don’t like people asking about mine. Not all gifts are gifts. Sometimes they feel more like a burden.” Beca nodded and let out a breath. She understood. She instantly felt more at ease.

 

“Okay,” Beca said. “Thank you.”

 

“And that goes for anything that comes along with it,” Aubrey said. “If you’re anything like me, it comes with free nightmares, severe anxiety…” Beca’s head snapped up.

 

“You too?” she asked, hopeful that someone would understand that it wasn’t just the power she was fighting these days.

 

“Let’s just say that I don’t sleep much,” Aubrey said with a wry smile. She left Beca to think about things for a while.

 

The night didn’t run too long, but Aubrey made sure she grabbed Beca on the way back to the dorm. They walked together with Chloe and she gave Beca her number. In case she ever wanted to talk, or hang out.

 

Beca got back to her room and sat on her bed in the dark. She felt… calmer than she’d been in months. Because there were people who understood her here. A small smile crept over her face. Maybe college wouldn’t be so bad.

 


	2. Chapter 2

As the weeks progressed, Beca could tell her mental state was improving. She was feeling less terrified, less like she was going to blow apart at the seams. The girls all met together at least once a week, but normally twice. Just to hang out, talk, sometimes go out to dinner. She really liked them, too. They were nice, they made her forget about her constantly impending sense of doom, and they never pressured her into talking about her power.

 

On top of hanging out with the group, she spent an increasing amount time just with Chloe and Aubrey. She had some classes with the others, but she occasionally dropped by the dorm the two seniors were living in. They were always happy to have her - they talked music and Beca felt like she’d made some really good friends. Chloe was always so positive and uplifting all the time. It was hard to feel bad about herself with that kind of energy present. Aubrey was a different story all together.

 

Aubrey could tell when she was having bad days. Beca knew that some of it had to do with Chloe being able to tell when the power emanating from her felt off balance, she wasn’t an idiot. But Aubrey was the one who would text her, take her out for coffee and they’d talk until she felt better. Sometimes Aubrey would text her an admission that she was having trouble sleeping so they would go and sit on the roof for a while. Aubrey had initially balked at that, but once she saw how nice campus looked, and how much calmer Beca seemed up there, she changed her mind.

 

Beca felt okay talking about her anxiety with Aubrey. There was a lot of it, and for some reason she could talk to Aubrey without having that undercurrent of sheer panic in her mind. Aubrey was someone she connected with - she had her own anxiety stories to tell. All she knew was, she tended to come back from hanging out with Aubrey feeling good. She hadn’t come close to having a full scale meltdown around the girls and she was - for the most part - happy.

 

It was a couple of months in that it eventually happened. She’d been in a bit of a funk beforehand, thanks to a visit from her dad right as she’d been getting ready to leave. He’d stopped by the dorm and spotted a handful of Polaroids on her desk of her and the girls and immediately turned interrogatory.

 

“Who are the girls?”

 

“Friends,” Beca said. “We’re an acapella group. I’m helping write the arrangements.” Not technically a lie.

 

“How well do you know them?”

 

“We’re pretty close I guess,” she said, not liking where this was headed.

 

“How close, though?” he asked. “They don’t know, do they?”

 

“No,” Beca said. “How could they?”

 

“Well, you don’t really handle it that well, are you sure they haven’t maybe picked up on something?” he asked.

 

“Not that I’m aware of,” she said.

 

“And how often are you seeing these girls? Maybe you should cut back, don’t want to make them suspicious.”

 

“Why would you say that?” Beca said. “This group is the only thing on campus that actually makes me feel normal and not like I’m going to blow a wall out from panicking. We talk about music, and I enjoy it. I haven’t been any trouble at all to you, so why can’t you just leave me alone!?”

 

“You know why,” he said. “Because there are ramifications for what you are, Beca, even if they don’t solely affect you.” Beca had pushed past him out the door, her head spinning and struggling to contain the lightheadedness that always preceded a meltdown. On the walk to the auditorium she managed to reign herself in, stopping for a while to calm herself down. She didn’t want to walk into the auditorium and have everyone staring at her.

 

She was quieter than normal. Chloe noticed first, but it was more due to the fact that something around Beca felt static-laden and charged. She knew Beca wouldn’t talk about it though, but she stuck close by in case something happened.

 

Nobody was to blame, really. They’d been talking about their favorite albums and Lily had put David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel on. It was a classic, there would have been a thousand other people in the world who called it a favorite. One such person was her mother. She had vague memories of her mother dancing her around the room to the album, as she laughed crazily. Then it was her father’s voice again.

 

_There are ramifications for what you are, Beca, even if they don’t solely affect you._

 

She felt the guilt and anger and despair all clashing within herself at once. She tried hard to push it down, reason with it, but her dad’s voice spoke over and over in her head, and she knew she was losing the fight.

 

Beca withdrew to a corner of the room, clutching her head in her hands. She could feel it rising inside her, she knew something bad was about to happen. She tried to force herself to take deep breaths, but all it did was make her start hyperventilating. Chloe felt a surge coming from somewhere and turned around, trying to spot her. She saw Beca shrinking into the corner, and elbowed Aubrey.

 

“Bree,” she said quietly. “Beca.” The blonde looked over and saw the brunette on the verge of having a meltdown and she moved over to her. She stopped in front of the smaller girl and took her hands, the other girl looking up in fear before she realised who it was. Aubrey encouraged her to get up and led her out of the room.

 

As they left, Aubrey turned to go further down the hall into the building, but Beca resisted. She tugged Aubrey the other way and they made their way outside. Beca kept walking until she was well away from the building, in as open a space as she could manage. Then she sank into a ball and wrapped her arms around her knees tightly as she tried to level her breathing back out. Once she had enough air she began humming quietly.

 

Aubrey just waited. Clearly Beca was in the middle of a full-blown anxiety attack of some kind. That much she could tell from her own experiences with it. What she couldn’t tell was what had triggered it, or what she could do to help. But Beca was rocking back and forth, humming quietly for a few moments before she raised her head weakly.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said immediately, in a soft tone.

 

“No need to be sorry,” Aubrey said. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

 

“I just need to be outside for a while longer,” Beca said. “Open space.”

 

“Would you like to be alone?” Aubrey asked. Beca paused. She didn’t normally want anyone around her, but Aubrey seemed different. Like she’d be okay with whatever was happening.

 

“Can you stay?” she asked. Aubrey just sat a comfortable distance away from her and didn’t speak until Beca did first.

 

“I’m starting to feel okay,” Beca said. “Thanks for staying with me.”

 

“Does it happen often?” Aubrey asked.

 

“Not quite that bad,” Beca said. “But yes, I do get like this a lot. Unfortunate side effect really.”

 

“Mine was a bit different,” Aubrey said. “I went through a period of where I didn’t talk to anyone but Chloe. Occasionally my parents, when necessary. I’m talking years.”

 

“How did you get over it?”

 

“Learned how to control it. Believed that I had no other choice,” Aubrey said. “I didn’t have another choice.”

 

“Nobody has ever tried to help me control it,” Beca said, devolving into a rant. “The opposite, yes. Repress it. But that normally leads to the anxiety attack, and then it kind of just… explodes. It should be easier than this, Aubrey. I didn’t ask for this gift and I don’t want it. As I was growing up so many of my classmates wished they had a superpower but I wouldn’t wish this so-called gift on anyone. I just want to be a normal person, a normal girl.” Aubrey was fiddling with the lace on her sneaker.

 

“Not everyone has a nice, fun power,” Aubrey said. “It sucks, but it’s the reality of it. Mine is literally terrifying, I don’t even like admitting it. There’s the possibility of what people would think…” Beca was looking at her with a hopeful expression. Aubrey could tell that she felt a connection, same as she did.

 

“Would you like to hear about it?” Aubrey offered quietly. “I think maybe you and I have a lot in common. I don’t share it with very many people but I feel like… you’d understand. Chloe knows, but you’d be the only other person here who knows.”

 

“Okay,” Beca said. “If you want to share.”

 

“I can… control people’s actions,” Aubrey said. “It’s horrible. It sounds like one of those things that would be awesome, but it’s absolutely vile. That period where I didn’t talk? I was so worried that everyone around me was reacting to some compulsion I’d planted in their heads. I couldn’t be sure I wasn’t controlling everyone around me. To say and do as I wanted.”

 

“Whoa,” Beca said. “That’s… shitty. So you’ve learned how to turn it off?”

 

“More than that,” Aubrey said. “My parents were not happy with my powers. But they also wanted the best for me. So once we realised what it was we were dealing with, they got me help. Like therapy. Except worse. It was… brutal. But once I managed to control it, they pretty much told me it was never to be mentioned again, ever.”

 

“So you’re like, reformed?”

 

“I just don’t even allow myself to engage with that part of me,” Aubrey said. “It’s too dangerous. Imagine how easy it would be to just start conditioning everyone in the world, make your life a breeze? You could get any job you want. You actually wouldn’t need to work, because you’d be able to get all the money you want. You could commit crime and just tell the judge to let you off. It’s too slippery a slope to even think about. I’ve put a lot of effort into blocking that off, even if I know it’s still there.”

 

“It’s actually a really scary concept,” Beca said. “Are you worried that people are going to want to study that? What you can do?”

 

“A lot,” Aubrey said. “It’s the source of why I don’t sleep. Nightmares.”

 

“Me too. Half the time that scares me more than what I can do,” Beca said. There was a long pause before she spoke again. “I can’t really believe I’m saying this, but do you want to hear about mine?”

 

“Only if you want to tell me,” Aubrey said. “And I mean that.”

 

“It’s hard to explain,” Beca said. “But you’ve heard that old saying about immovable objects and unstoppable forces?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I’m both,” Beca said with a shrug. “I can be both immovable and unstoppable. Kind of invincible and super strong? Uh, it’s weird. I mean, I know what I can do but I don’t really understand the depths of it, to be honest. I just know that it’s the absolute worst thing in the world. Imagine tripping and going to catch yourself but instead of grabbing the kitchen counter you plow straight through it.”

 

“That can’t have been a fun childhood.”

 

“And running out onto the road as a little kid,” Beca said as a whisper, “And when your mom runs out to grab you, you freeze because you’re scared of the oncoming car and no matter how much she tries to get you to move, there’s nothing she can do but brace herself as she wraps around you.” Aubrey registered what Beca had just said to her as the tears hit the brunette’s cheeks.

 

“And from then on dad just didn’t know what to do with me,” she said, wiping the tears off of her face. “He never even tried to show me how to control it. I think he blames me for mom, really. Every time I got scared or anxious, I accidentally demolished whatever was in arms reach. And although he never showed me how to control the power, he tried to get me to stop destroying everything.”

 

“How?” Aubrey asked, almost afraid of the answer.

 

“I don’t like enclosed spaces for a reason,” Beca said. Aubrey moved toward her and reached a hand out, but not quite touching her. Beca looked at it for a moment and then took it. “He had this room built. When I started to get worked up he’d lock me in there until I calmed down. But when I was just about sixteen I almost took out the entire basement.”

 

“How?” Aubrey asked, curious.

 

“The room had a steel door,” Beca said. “I was rocking back and forth like I was just doing then and my head was hitting against it. One hit was too hard, I guess. I took out the door, the door coming off took out the walls and it just sort of kept going. Almost destroyed the entire house.”

 

“Were you hurt?” Beca shook her head.

 

“Now when I feel it building up, I know I need to get outside. Open space. Nothing to hurt, nothing to break,” she said. “I’ve never been able to control it. It just erupts and all I can do is try to breathe deep and get into an open space before it does or something gets broken.”

 

“What brings it on?”

 

“Just about everything,” Beca said ruefully. “People getting too close. People asking too many questions. My dad in general. Me thinking people are figuring out what I am. Me being afraid of what people might do once they figure that out. The possibility that if the wrong person finds out, my life is basically over. Flashbacks.”

 

“You seem okay when I’m with you,” Aubrey said softly.

 

“Yeah,” Beca said. “Even when I’m freaking out, being near you calms me down. I’ve felt safer with you than I have anywhere else in years.”

 

“Being near you makes me feel less alone,” Aubrey said quietly. “The other girls, they get it to an extent. But it’s not the same, when the thing you have inside is so destructive.”

 

“I like the girls,” Beca said. “A lot. But there’s a big difference between Ashley’s little fairy lights and being what I am.”

 

“I know. But what we are is still good, Beca,” Aubrey said. She saw a smile flicker across Beca’s face. “So you had a bad day today?”

 

“Dad stopped by just before I left,” Beca said. “He wants me to pull back on hanging out with you guys in case you get suspicious and figure out what I am.”

 

“Well he’s a bit late on that count, isn’t he?” Aubrey said dryly.

 

“He felt it necessary to throw in a line about there being ramifications for what I am, a nice subtle dig about mom,” she continued, “and then Lily just happened to put one of mom’s favorite albums on and I guess I had a flashback and the timing sucked so here we are.”

 

“Are you feeling okay now?” Aubrey asked.

 

“Yeah, I am,” she said. “Thanks. And I know the girls are going to be concerned, and there was no way Lily could have known-”

 

“We don’t have to tell them anything,” Aubrey said.

 

“I do feel better,” Beca said. “Now that you know. It just feels like a dirty secret most of the time.” They got up and headed back toward the auditorium. When they walked in, everyone glanced over but nobody brought any attention to their absence. Stacie shot Beca a smile and they went back to talking about music.

 

“I kinda just said that Beca gets anxiety from time to time and it’s best not to make a big deal out of it,” Chloe murmured to Aubrey. “Hope that’s okay.”

 

“That’s fine,” Aubrey said. “She’s feeling better now, but she obviously doesn’t want to talk about it.”

 

“It’s okay,” Chloe assured her. They all hung out for a while longer, but eventually they decided it was getting late. They all branched off toward their dorms, Chloe and Aubrey farewelling Beca at her door before continuing to their own room. They got ready for bed, but weren’t exactly ready to go to sleep. Chloe was putting lotion on her legs and humming softly, but Aubrey was just leaning against her desk. Chloe could just about hear the wheels turning in Aubrey’s head, but she knew better than to ask. She just waited until Aubrey was ready to speak.

 

“Beca told me what her power is,” Aubrey said. Chloe looked up, a little surprised. That was not what she expected to hear, not by a long shot.

 

“Really?” she asked. “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know unless she wants me to.”

 

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Aubrey said. “But… I completely understand why she’s afraid of it and why she doesn’t want to talk about it with anyone. It’s gotta be horrible.”

 

“But I guess it’s good that she’s talking to you, Bree,” Chloe said. “I get the impression she hasn’t had many people listening to her in her life.”

 

“Yeah, we’re close,” Aubrey said. “And, uh, I told her about mine too.”

 

“Wow,” Chloe said. “That’s a pretty big deal.” Aubrey sank into her bed and looked down at her hands pensively. Chloe just watched her expectantly.

 

“I think we might be getting to be the kind of close where I wonder if it’s technically correct when we say we’re just friends,” she said. Chloe didn’t roll her eyes, despite the fact that it had taken twenty five words to say she liked the girl.

 

“So you like her?” she said, getting straight to the point. Aubrey bit her lip and nodded.

 

“I like her a lot,” she confessed. “But I don’t want to scare her off, Chlo.”

 

“Well, I think she likes you too,” Chloe said. “I mean she’s getting better with me, and with all the other girls too. But when she’s with you, she’s happier. More confident.”

 

“You think?”

 

“Sure,” Chloe replied. “Plus you guys hang out a lot. I know you two sneak up to the roof sometimes.”

 

“She needs open space, when things get bad,” Aubrey said. “I feel like she understands me. I mean, you’re my best friend in the whole world but it feels different, you know?”

 

“I know what you mean,” Chloe said. “It’s a different kind of close.”

 

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I mean, we’ve shared a lot, and I don’t want to do something stupid that makes her freak out. I don’t want her to stop feeling like she’s safe with me, you know?”

 

“Talk to her,” Chloe shrugged. “It’s all you can do, really.”

 

“I will.” Her phone vibrated on the nightstand and she saw she had a text from Beca.

 

_Thanks for tonight. It meant a lot to me._

Aubrey smiled and sent one back.

 

_Any time. Have you got breakfast plans for tomorrow?_

Beca texted back that she didn’t, and they made a plan to meet for coffee off campus in one of the quieter spots. Then Aubrey slid into bed, happy and hopeful about the younger girl and what they shared.


	3. Chapter 3

Aubrey drove to breakfast the next morning, and she couldn’t help but notice how good a mood Beca was in. She was singing along to the radio - it hadn’t taken long for everyone in Bellas to concede that when it came to music the girl was immensely talented. Her voice was like silk. Chloe and Aubrey had talked about it for a bit once. They both liked music, they both liked to sing. But they easily admitted that Beca’s voice was something else.

 

The coffee shop they’d picked out was about half full, mostly business types on their way to work or having morning meetings. Most students preferred to stay on campus or to hit up one of the places closer to home, which is precisely why Aubrey and Beca favored this place. Sure, a few people popped in, but it was mostly people who didn’t know them and they could be alone.

 

“So I wanted to talk to you about something,” Aubrey said after their first round of coffee had been delivered. “If that’s okay.”

 

“Sure,” Beca said. “Can I say something first?”

 

“Sure,” Aubrey said.

 

“Just about last night,” Beca said. “I know I texted it to you before but I really appreciate what you did for me. And yeah, it was… actually, more specifically, you’re really important to me. So… thanks.” Her cheeks were blushed a little pink. Aubrey was buoyed by her statement. She felt like it could only be a positive sign.

 

“You’re really important to me too,” Aubrey said. “And that actually ties in to what I wanted to talk about. Because I’ve really loved getting to know you, Beca. I feel like we really understand each other. In a way that the other girls don’t really get, even Chloe. And it’s just… the more I get to know you, the more I like you and I kind of feel like I’m at a point where I need to tell you that my feelings toward you aren’t strictly platonic, or within the bonds of sisterhood as Chloe would say.” Aubrey mentally kicked herself for rambling, the way she always did when she was nervous.

 

“What?” Beca asked, confused.

 

“I like you,” Aubrey said. “A lot. And I was hoping you’d consider maybe letting me take you on a date.” Better. Simple.

 

“You want to date me?” Beca asked. There was a brief and awkward moment as their food was brought to the table.

 

“I do,” Aubrey said. “I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, but I felt like I had to be honest about my feelings with you. We’ve been pretty open about just about everything.”

 

“No, no,” Beca said, “I appreciate that. Just - give me a minute?” Aubrey nodded, and Beca’s face glazed over as she thought about this prospect for a minute.

 

“Um,” she said eventually, “I’m glad you told me, Aubrey. Because the connection I have with you isn’t something I’ve ever felt with anyone before. Only I’m not very good at reading the context of these things. It’s got nothing to do with you, I promise. I’ve just - it’s not been something I’ve encountered much.”

 

“Okay,” Aubrey said.

 

“I think I need some time,” Beca said. “Because I do like you, a lot. And I’d be lucky to date someone like you. I’m not saying no here, I just need to figure out how this sits in with everything else in my head, does that make sense?”

 

“I can give you time,” Aubrey said. “Take as long as you need. I’ll leave you-”

 

“No, dude, we’re still having breakfast here,” she said. “Don’t go. Please. I need time to think, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you.”

 

“Okay,” Aubrey said. Beca’s eyes were searching hers out so she understood that this wasn’t a bad thing. The smaller girl’s stare made her feel at ease. “Okay, I’ll stay.” They finished up their breakfast and headed back to campus. Aubrey couldn’t help but feel nervous as they approached the dorm and prepared to go their separate ways.

 

“I can tell you’re worrying,” Beca said. “I’ll talk to you later, I promise. I just need to think things through. I’m a stewer, I need to like… ruminate.”

 

“Okay,” Aubrey said with a slight smile. “Nice choice of word. I don’t mind how late is.”

 

“Gotcha,” Beca said. She headed into her room and immediately dropped down onto her bed. She actually had classes she had to attend to, but she wanted to think about things properly. Aubrey deserved that. She had been honest with her about her feelings, and Beca owed it to her to process things as quickly as she could.

 

She liked Aubrey a lot. That wasn’t the problem, she’d kind of known this for a little while. But she wasn’t really sure as to how it would work, dating. She was so afraid, so unstable. Would a relationship just end up being Aubrey taking care of her? Would it even be safe for Aubrey? What if she hurt her?

 

She blew out a long sigh and then tugged her headphones toward her. She needed some music to help her organize her thoughts.

 

Much later that day, almost evening, Aubrey was alternating study with glancing on and off at her phone seeing if Beca had texted. Chloe had just disappeared for a shower when she finally got the text she’d been waiting for.

 

_Hey are you free? I’m up on the roof._

 

Aubrey scrawled a note and left it on Chloe’s desk so she’d know where she went, and headed up to the roof. It was a little chilly up there, and she pulled her jacket tighter around her body as she walked toward the smaller girl.

 

“Hey,” she said. Beca turned and flashed a smile at her.

 

“Hey,” Beca said. “I was hoping you were free.”

 

“And here I am,” Aubrey replied.

 

“I’ve been thinking all day,” Beca said. “About you. And me. And how that might translate into a potential us. I might have even missed a class because I was too busy thinking.”

 

“Beca.”

 

“I know, it wasn’t intentional,” Beca said. “I already asked Stacie if I could borrow her notes.”

 

“Good,” she said.

 

“Anyway,” Beca said, “About us. I guess you’re right. Because the feelings I have for you have been really… unexpected. I’m not good with interpersonal stuff, so I’ve been trying to figure out what these feelings actually mean to me. And they’re not platonic. Because I don’t feel the same way about Chloe, and Stacie, and the others as I do about you. You mean so much more to me than they do.” She took Aubrey’s hand.

 

Aubrey’s heart was beating away hard and happy in her chest. Beca was still talking.

 

“So yeah,” Beca said, starting to get a little emotional. “Definitely not just platonic. I would love nothing more than to- dammit.” She was sniffling a little so Aubrey just pulled her into her arms and held her close for a few moments. She felt the younger girl curl into her reflexively and without thinking, she placed a soft kiss on her hairline. Beca’s fingers brushed the spot and she pulled back in Aubrey’s arms a little. The blonde was about ready to apologise for what she’d done, say she wasn’t thinking and she shouldn’t have, but Beca was looking back and forth between her lips and her eyes, clearly thinking about something. She leaned in just a little bit and Aubrey’s lips brushed hers softly. Then again, and again. But all too soon, Beca broke it off with an anguished gasp.

 

“Aubrey… I want to but I can’t,” Beca said, tears filling her eyes, “I mean, I want to, more than anything, and I so can’t believe I’m saying this, but don’t you get that I could destroy you? The more I think about it the more ways I realise I can hurt you without either of us ever seeing it coming. I don’t want to hurt you, especially because I care about you so much.” Aubrey had considered this response from Beca. Beca was so afraid of herself, but she wanted her not to be afraid for her. Because she wasn’t.

 

“I know,” Aubrey said. “But you don’t want to. And I’m not afraid of you. I feel safe with you, Beca. And I know you won’t hurt me. I don’t believe you can, even if you’re uncertain about how all your power and stuff works, I think there’s something deep inside you that knows you could never hurt me.” A tear slid out of the corner of Beca’s eye.

 

“Are you sure? You really want to take that chance with me?”

 

“Well, my arms are still around you, so I’d say so,” Aubrey said. She leaned in again and this time Beca met her halfway. She was tentative, probably due to the inexperience, but Aubrey still felt the air rushing from her chest as they kissed. Beca’s arms came to rest around her neck as it deepened, so Aubrey made sure her arms were secure and tight around her waist.

 

Neither girl saw Chloe looking at them from the doorway to the rooftop. She’d come up looking for Aubrey and Beca to see if they wanted to grab some pizza for dinner. But after she spotted them and saw their intimate moment in progress, she slipped back inside unseen with a grin on her face. Any idiot could have seen it coming. Beca really responded to Aubrey. Sure she was nice to the girls, friendly and all, but she only opened herself up to the blonde.

 

The next time Beca broke off it was with a firm smile. She searched out Aubrey’s eyes and felt herself calm down. She felt the tension drain from her body and she took a deep breath. Aubrey smiled at her and she smiled back.

 

“Okay,” Beca said. “I want this, Aubrey. You make me feel… like I can just be a normal girl for five minutes. I’m happy when I’m with you, and you’re so beautiful-” Aubrey just kissed her again, shorter and softer.

 

“I just want to be with you,” Aubrey said. Beca leaned back into her and tightened her embrace. The older girl was happy just to hold her for a few moments, feel the racing of Beca’s heart in contrast to her own.

 

“So can I take you on a date tomorrow?” Aubrey asked. “We can go out to dinner before Bellas.”

 

“I’d love that,” Beca said.

 

“But I’m pretty sure Chloe said something about the three of grabbing some food,” Aubrey said. “Pizza? You can come hang out with us for a while.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds perfect,” Beca said. “I wanna take a shower though. Order something without olives and I’m in.”

 

“Deal,” Aubrey said. She leaned in and kissed her softly once more. “Come down whenever you’re ready.”

 

“I will,” Beca said. They headed inside together, the two of them branching off to go their separate ways. Aubrey headed back to her dorm where Chloe was waiting. The redhead looked up with a huge grin on her face.

 

“You saw us,” Aubrey assumed.

 

“I saw a split second, but then I left straight away,” Chloe said. “But that looked promising.”

 

“It went… well,” Aubrey said with a smile. “About as well as I could have hoped for, to be honest.”

 

“I’m happy for you guys,” Chloe said. “Really.”

 

"I need you to do me a favor," Aubrey said. "Obviously Beca and I are dating. But we don't want anyone to make a big deal about it."

 

"I can take care of that," Chloe said. "Promise." 

 

"Thanks," Aubrey said. "She's gonna drop by a bit later. We thought maybe we’d get some pizza, all three of us, and then she’s just gonna hang out for a while, is that okay?"

 

"Of course it's okay," Chloe said. "I’ll have dinner with you guys but I also have some study to do. I'll take it to the library."

 

"You don't have to leave," Aubrey said. "I didn't mean we were kicking you out."

 

"You're not kicking me out," Chloe said. "If I stay, I'll spend the night socialising instead. Not a good plan with a looming Chem exam."

 

"Okay. But you're welcome to stay." Chloe nodded.

 

“Noted,” she said.

Beca appeared a bit later, hair still damp. Chloe called out for pizza and offered to go and pick it up so it could give them a few moments alone.

 

“You don’t have to,” Beca said.

 

“No, I know,” Chloe said. “But it’s important for you guys to have some alone time. I honestly don’t mind, I swear.”

 

“Only if you’re sure,” Aubrey said. “Beca and I can go if you like.”

 

“I’ll go,” Chloe said. “I wanted to grab a couple of things anyway. I’m pretty close to being out of tampons and I need bobby pins.” Aubrey nodded and after Chloe assembled a few things, she headed out.

 

There was a drugstore not far from their preferred pizza place, so Chloe stopped off there before she headed on to get their food. When Chloe got to the pizza place, their order wasn’t quite done yet so she took a seat and waited. Then she thought back to her promise to Aubrey to help with the other girls, who would definitely freak when they found out Aubrey and Beca were together. She dug her cell phone out and dialed a number.

 

"Hey Stacie," Chloe said. "I need your help spreading some news."

 

"Hit me," the taller girl said.

 

"Bree and Beca are dating," she said.

 

"Seriously?" Stacie said excitedly. "Oh man, it wasn't just me thinking they'd be great together then. How long has that been a thing?"

 

"Only a couple of hours," Chloe said. "Literally just happened. They don't want to hide it but they also don't want to answer a whole bunch of questions or whatever. Help me tell the girls and make sure they don't hassle them?"

 

"Sure," Stacie said. “So just, yeah, they’re dating please don’t get in their faces because Beca is already super anxious and they’d like to just be low key about it?”

 

“Yeah, exactly,” Chloe said. “They both seem pretty happy though, Stace. It’s nice. Beca’s so tense a lot of the time.”

 

Back in the dorm room, Aubrey and Beca were curled up next to each other on her bed. Aubrey was reading and Beca had stuck one earbud in, listening to music quietly next to her. They weren’t saying much, but it was nice. Comforting. To Beca, especially. Even just being in this close proximity to Aubrey was enough to calm her down. She spent a lot of her time in a state of heavily repressed semi-anxiety. But right here and right now, she felt… content. She wasn’t used to it, but she liked it, that much she knew.

 

“You look like you’re thinking pretty hard there,” Aubrey said. She stuck a piece of paper inside her book to keep her place, and Beca tugged the earbud out.

 

“Just appreciating how good this feels,” Beca said. “I’m a fairly tense person, in case you haven’t noticed. It can be - well. Pardon my language here, but it’s fucking exhausting. But I don’t feel that now. I feel great.”

 

“Me too,” Aubrey said. “I mean, I can only speak to my own experience, but I’ve been called high strung and tightly wound a lot. Chloe’s good about it, she knows where it all comes from and what I’m dealing with. But she never really struggled with it like I did. Her parents were completely okay with her being powered, they just encouraged her to use it for good.”

 

“She’s not like, super afraid?” Beca asked. “Power like hers, I’d be god damn terrified someone was going to try and track me down.”

 

“I don’t think she’s ever encountered that thought,” Aubrey said honestly. “It’d be nice wouldn’t it? But I’m glad you know. Because you understand.”

 

“And you understand me,” Beca said. “What you and Chloe did by starting that group is something really awesome. But the fact that there’s someone who really gets how this thing isn’t what everyone thinks, it isn’t necessarily a good thing… and then on top of it, it’s you.”

 

“Me?”

 

“You’re beautiful, and smart and somehow you can see something inside the mess that I am,” Beca said honestly. “And I’m probably being a bit more intense than most people are this early in a relationship, but I can’t really do casual…” She trailed off and bit her lip, thinking she must sound like an absolute idiot.

 

“Well, I don’t want to do casual,” Aubrey said. “And it means as much to me as it does to you. I just wanted to find some people who were at least a little like me. But I found you, which is just… it almost feels like it’s some kind of reward for all the other stuff I’ve had to endure to get to this point.”

 

“That’s… probably the best explanation of how I feel about this,” Beca said. She took a breath in and met Aubrey’s eyes and then shuffled herself up to kiss her. She kept it slow and steady because she was still nervous as hell, but Aubrey didn’t push further or faster. She did feel Aubrey’s hand on the side of her face, gently trailing along her jaw a bit and it was an interesting feeling.

 

She’d been kissed before. But not like this. Not like the other person cared about her. That they cared about getting some action, sure. But she could tell that Aubrey actually cared about her. She could feel her heart beginning to beat a little more rapidly in her chest, except for a change it wasn’t because she was about to explode. She focused on that feeling and let her lips still, Aubrey slowly wrapping her arm around her and holding her close. They didn’t move or speak again until they heard Chloe at the door.

 

They all ate dinner together, Chloe noticing the way Beca was starting to really come out of her shell. It made her happy, because even though she hated herself for the analogy, when she saw Beca at the first Bellas get together the girl reminded her of some kind of stray puppy. She was jumpy and nervous and took a while to warm up to people, but now that she had… And she was so happy that Beca and Aubrey were trying to make something work. Her best friend had been closed off for way too long.

 

But she did have study to do, so she gathered her stuff and headed to the library, promising she’d text before she came back. Beca again told her that she didn’t have to leave, but she held up her chemistry text and said she really did.

 

But as she sat herself down in the library, she was focusing on the way Beca’s energy had changed. She usually gave off a feeling that was a bit like standing too close to a microwave that you were pretty sure was gonna explode. A tangible hum, almost. It wasn’t like that right now. It was light, like a summer breeze.

 

She didn’t always like to talk about the ways she could sense the change in people. It felt kind of private and she didn’t think that everyone would appreciate knowing just how much it gave away about them. Her mother and father had talked with her a lot about her gift and what moral complications came with something like that. Because she knew a lot more about people than just how strong they were. She could tell if they were having bad days. She could judge their intentions and whether they were about to do something good or bad. She could even tell when girls were PMSing, sometimes.

 

But she kept it to herself. She just went about her daily life and occasionally used what she could do to help people out if she could. And she hoped that Aubrey and Beca counted as people she could help. Well, Aubrey she liked to feel like she already had. Their friendship was one of the most important things in the world to Chloe. She didn’t know if she’d ever get close enough to Beca to be able to make a huge difference to her, but in a circumstance like Beca’s it might be beneficial to let Aubrey be the one to help her.

 

She shook her head, realizing she’d just been thinking about Beca and Aubrey for almost an hour, wasting precious study time. She opened her book and tried to refocus her energy on Chemistry instead of the chemistry between her friends and the power that crashed around inside them without them even knowing.


	4. Chapter 4

The girls were pleasantly surprised by the reactions of their friends when they appeared at Bellas the following evening. Beca was nervously holding Aubrey’s hand as they entered the room. But apart from their standard greetings to the two, everything was normal. A little later in the evening, Stacie did briefly chat with Beca, not grilling her, but mentioning that she seemed happy.

“I am,” Beca said. They’d been out to dinner before they’d come, and Beca hadn’t done much of the dating thing before, but to her it had been perfect. She and Aubrey had gone for Greek food, sat next to each other in a booth. Beca couldn’t believe this was happening, this gorgeous girl next to her wanted to be _her girlfriend_. It just didn’t seem real, but as Aubrey dropped a kiss on her cheek she couldn’t see how it wasn’t real.

They walked back to the dorms hand in hand later that night, some of the girls around them. As they reached the building the girls went in but they slowed a little. Their fingers were still tangled together and Beca could feel the stirring happiness in her chest.

“I had a great time tonight,” Aubrey said.

“Me too,” Beca said. “You’re so beautiful.” Aubrey blushed a little pink and leaned in to kiss her softly before she steered them toward Beca’s door.

“And I think you’re gorgeous too,” Aubrey said. “Can I call you in the morning around breakfast?”

“Sure,” Beca said.

“I have a nine am class so it might be a little early,” Aubrey said.

“No, any time,” Beca assured her. “I always want to see you.” Aubrey swiftly kissed the younger girl again before she let her go into her room.

They ended up catching breakfast together the next morning at the cafeteria. Breakfast wasn’t easy to mess up, so they didn’t mind eating on campus. They were just settling in with cups of coffee to finish off when Chloe came streaking through the door, looking for them. She spotted them and hurried over.

"Bree!" Chloe said, huffing. "So my friend Tom?"

"What about him?" Aubrey asked. Friend was a loose application of the word. She’d seen the two of them hooking up on more than one occasion.

"He's moving back home, end of the week," Chloe said, catching her breath. "And the landlord said if he knew of anyone who could take over the lease on the apartment, they could move straight in. He called me right away."

"We could finally move off campus?" Aubrey asked. They'd been looking for a place for ages, but the few that were left were either gross or way too expensive.

"Yep," Chloe said. "Beautiful place, too. He has to go home, his dad’s sick and he has to help take over the business. Two bedrooms, both big, nice kitchen, almost new bathroom, we just have to go right now and sign stuff."

“Chlo, I have a nine am class,” Aubrey said.

“You gotta skip it, just this once,” Chloe said. “Otherwise they’ll get someone else to move in and we’ll be stuck on campus forever.” Aubrey felt bad about skipping class, and also about ditching Beca before they had finished their meal. She looked over at her.

"Dude, go," Beca said. "Don't wait. Someone will hear about it and swoop in, I know what rentals are like here."

"I'll come past later and make it up to you, okay?" Aubrey said. Beca nodded and the older girl kissed her on the lips. Beca held on for just a second longer, bringing a smile to Aubrey’s face.

It didn’t take long for them to sort out the necessary paperwork and move themselves in. As soon as they’d finished unpacking everything, Aubrey had brought Beca over. She gave her the extended tour. They hadn’t needed to buy major appliances or anything, Tom had left them all behind.

"Wow," Beca said. "It's a nice place."

"Yep," Aubrey said. "Still a few more things we need but we're set for now. But most importantly, I just wanted to make sure you knew you were always welcome here."

"Really?"

"Even if I'm not. Look, I know it was great us being in the same dorm building, but Chloe and I talked and we're okay with you being here any time," she said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I've come to really like having you in my space." She pulled a key out of her pocket.

"You're giving me a key?" Beca said.

"I know you don't do so well with crowds," Aubrey said. "Hide out here whenever you like." Beca raised onto her toes and kissed her. 

"Let me show you something else," Aubrey said, taking her back into the living room. There was a huge window and Aubrey pushed the top panel out.

"Fire escape," she said. Beca followed her out and they sat out there for a few moments. Beca liked this spot. It was out in the open air but it was also relatively private. 

"I like it out here," Beca said.

"Just in case you need to get out," Aubrey said. She pulled the smaller girl in with an arm around her shoulder and Beca was content just to sit there with her. She felt extremely lucky that Aubrey was someone who understood her so well that the first thing she thought about was how Beca could most feel at home in her new place.

The girls settled in to the apartment easily, Beca hanging out there more often than not. Beca and Aubrey were together almost all the time now, except for classes. Beca even stayed over at the apartment fairly often.

Both of them felt like the best part of their day was climbing into bed together. They’d talk a little, make out a little, but mainly just hold each other close while they slept. They hadn’t had sex yet. It was Beca pulling things back. Aubrey didn’t want to hurry her, not even a little. Beca was so afraid of hurting her that she was really reluctant to move things toward sex. She could fully admit that she wanted it, truly, but she was scared.

It was a rational line of thinking, Aubrey could concede. Beca had no control over her physical reaction to emotional and sensory overload. So an orgasm, as wonderful as they were, would be a terrifying concept for someone like her. She apologised for it repeatedly, but Aubrey would always kiss her and remind her that she would happily wait forever and a day if she had to. It wasn’t a lie. Sure she was a woman with needs and she would be ready for Beca any time. But she wasn’t going to hurry her.

Chloe could tell a lot about their relationship from the way the energy had changed around them. People like them, with gifts, their energy felt different. Vibrated almost. Nobody noticed it quite like her. Beca was often off-kilter and uneven. Aubrey was more of a high pitched whining vibration. But now that the two of them were together, their energies had balanced out. It was harmonic. Beca’s still ebbed and flowed like a bass line, but it complemented Aubrey’s perfectly. They were meant to be together.

Chloe’s relationship with Beca was changing too. The smaller girl was becoming less guarded now. She still didn’t talk about her dad and her past much, but she was more open about other things. About her gift with music. Chloe loved music, naturally, and Beca was amazingly talented. She also learned the smaller girl was pretty sarcastic, funny, and hated anchovies on her pizza. She didn’t mind at all that Beca was hanging out at the apartment so much. Even if Aubrey wasn’t there, Beca would still pop by. And Chloe secretly loved the moment that Aubrey got home, when Beca was waiting for her. The smaller girl would positively light up.

One afternoon a few months into the relationship, Aubrey was sitting in class, simply not able to believe how much her phone was going off. The vibrating was constant. She pulled it out and saw nineteen calls from Chloe, plus a text that said "911".  Chloe knew her schedule so to have that kind of text and all those calls, something must be wrong. She politely excused herself and called her back.

"Chlo?" Aubrey said.

"I just wanted to let you know that Beca's here," Chloe said softly. "It doesn't look good. She came in really upset and headed straight for the fire escape. She's been sitting out there for over an hour and it's freezing. I didn't want to go out there, I know she doesn't like to be approached when she's upset, but I'm really worried about her, she feels really off balance and weird. I think she needs you, Bree."

"I'm on my way," Aubrey said. She went back in and apologised to her tutor, saying she had an emergency, then quickly hurried back to her apartment. She ditched her bag the second she walked in, plucked a throw rug off the back of the couch and then headed straight out. 

Beca was shivering, curled up in a ball. She was rocking back and forth and humming to herself, same as she always did, but with more vigor than normal. Aubrey quietly sat next to her and then draped the blanket around her. Beca barely registered that she was there and Aubrey suddenly swallowed a gasp. 

Beca was bleeding. The back of her head where she'd been rocking back and forth and hitting it against the building had split open and she was leaving a large blood smear on the wall. And it didn't even seem like she knew. 

"Beca," Aubrey said softly. She slowly slid her hands on top of Beca's, causing her to look up. 

"Hey," she managed croakily. "I'm sorry, I just had a really bad day. Don't you have class?"

"Chloe called," Aubrey said. "She was worried about you. And so am I."

"I had a pretty epic blowout with my dad," Beca said. She flexed her freezing hands.

"The back of your head is bleeding," Aubrey said gently. Beca raised a hand and touched it, then Aubrey pointed out her shirt was ruined too.

"Oh," she said. "I didn't even realize."

"Do you think you're ready to come inside? You must be freezing, and I want to take a look at that," Aubrey said. Beca nodded and after she took a few deep breaths she stood up, Aubrey following suit and the two of them going back in. 

Chloe had retreated to her bedroom, not because she was afraid but she definitely wanted to give them space so Beca didn't feel any pressure to say anything or explain anything. Aubrey tugged a first aid kit out and got Beca to sit on a chair so she could see how bad she'd hurt herself. 

"I think you're going to need stitches," Aubrey said nervously. "It might hurt while I clean it up."

"Go ahead," Beca said. She was still shaking and cold to the touch so Aubrey quickly cleaned it up, trying to get a sterile dressing to hold. 

"It won't stay on," she said. 

"Um.... maybe just grab a washcloth and I'll hold it on?" Beca said. Aubrey went into her room first and grabbed a clean shirt, then the washcloth. She wrangled Beca into the shirt and then pulled her onto the couch. The younger girl curled up in her arms and Aubrey kept the washcloth against the site of the wound. Aubrey kept her arms wrapped around her, trying to warm her up. 

"Bad day?" She asked, softly brushing a kiss to her temple.

"Remember how I told you dad dragged me down here because I wasn't social enough and it was making me weird?" Beca asked.

"I remember."

"Well now I'm being too social and if anyone finds out what I really am and disgrace him in the process, I'll be sorry," Beca said. Aubrey could feel her tense slightly, and she kissed her softly again. "He hates that I spend so much time with you and Chloe and the girls, that he can't know where I am every second of the day. He hates that I'm starting to have my own life outside of him and he can't control every little thing I do. But he always makes me feel like I'm some danger to society like I should be locked up. And then I just start thinking stupid, stupid things..."

"Your dad's an asshole," came Chloe's voice. They looked up in surprise. "Sorry. I just came to check on you guys."

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Beca said softly.

"Not scared," Chloe clarified. "Worried, Becs. I'm just not really sure how comforting I can be to you. I hope you don't mind that I called Bree." Beca paused. Chloe was awesome. She had been very understanding and didn't ever pressure her or pry. She'd been patient and caring. And Aubrey thought the world of her.

"Okay," Beca said, letting out a breath. "You know what, I'm ready to tell you a bit more about me, hopefully you'll understand."

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked. "If you're not ready, you don't have to."

"No, you should know," Beca said. "I think it's time I stopped hiding from everyone. But maybe we should go get my head checked out first in case I do need stitches?"

"Good idea," Aubrey said. "Come on, the clinic is open." She went and got a thick jacket for Beca and ushered her downstairs into the car. The clinic wasn't far away and they were pointed to some chairs where they could wait, being told that it wouldn't be too long.

"So do you really want to tell the other girls?" Aubrey asked. She gently lifted the cloth to inspect the wound again. 

"I'll start with Chloe and see how I feel," Beca said. "But I feel like I can, you know?"

"Beca Mitchell?" a man asked. The girls got up and followed him into an exam room.

"So what's happened here?"

"I slipped," Beca said. "Hit some steps." It was simple and believable given the current weather and injury.

"Did you lose consciousness?" he asked, moving the washcloth out of the way so he could gingerly examine it. 

"No, just hit my head," she replied. “Didn’t black out, nothing weird with my vision.”

"I tried to clean it up but I thought we'd better come get it checked out," Aubrey said.

"Okay," he said. "I still have to do a quick neuro test but if you didn't lose consciousness we should be fine." He quickly conducted the exam and declared the results normal.

"It could definitely use a couple stitches," he said. "But then I'd have to shave part of your hair. If you prefer I could just glue it up. No washing your hair for a couple of days, though."

"That's fine," Beca replied. He had her fixed up in no time at all and soon sent them on their way, telling Aubrey if she started showing signs of concussion or having vision problems to take her to emergency. 

Chloe was studying when they got home, but once they came in she offered them all coffee and they sat down in the living room.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you're not ready, Beca," Chloe reiterated.

"No... It'll explain things a bit better, why I'm so fucking jumpy all the time and don’t talk about things much."

Aubrey took her hand as she began to reveal her history to Chloe. What she could do, how her mother had died. How her dad had made her feel like it had been her fault, never offering support or help but instead feeding her guilt and shame and fear. How afraid she was because she still had no idea how to control her power, how to stop from hurting people, how she barely knew what would set her off. About the few things she’d learned how to do on her own, but how sometimes it still wasn’t enough.

Chloe remained quiet, her eyes wide and full of concern. But once Beca had finished speaking, she simply got up and gave her a brief hug and sat back down.

"Thank you for sharing with me," Chloe said. "I'm glad you told me. I feel like I know you better and I swear that you'll have all the support you want from me. And I won’t tell anyone anything that you’ve told me."

"Thanks Chlo," Beca said with a smile. She did feel better now that someone else knew.

"Have you guys thought about dinner?"

"I know we were planning on going out," Beca said to Aubrey. "But can we just stay in? My head kind of hurts and I'm still cold from being out there so long."

"Of course," Aubrey said.

"I'll order some pizza," Chloe said. She got up and Aubrey turned Beca's face to hers so she could kiss her.

"I'm really proud of you, Beca," she said. "I know it would have been hard to open up like that. But you did it anyway." Beca curled up against her.

"Chloe's the kind of person I know I can trust," Beca said. Her eyes fell closed.

"How bad does your head hurt? Do you want some aspirin?" she asked.

"If you've got some," Beca said. Aubrey got up and got the painkillers and some water.

"How bad?" Aubrey asked.

"Not that bad. Mild headache," Beca said. "Not the first time this has happened." She swallowed the aspirin and drank the glass of water. "Um..."

"What is it?" Aubrey asked.

"I'm kinda tired,” Beca said. "But I liked just having you hold me? It was nice. Calming." Aubrey smiled.

"Okay," she said. She got back in her spot and pulled Beca against her, the smaller girl tugging the throw rug from before up over herself.

"Thanks," Beca said. "If I fall asleep wake me when the food gets here." Aubrey just smoothed a hand over her hair and kissed her. She felt Beca’s breathing even out as she dozed off, closing her own eyes and relaxing until their food arrived.


	5. Chapter 5

As the term progressed, the change in Beca was remarkable. She really came out of her shell with the group. She showed them the music that she liked to make - since they were supposed to be an acapella group and everything - and they all loved it. She was getting more and more comfortable being herself around them, even if she still didn't talk about her powers yet.  
  
She talked about them with Aubrey though, and sometimes with Chloe. She really just mused about how she wished there was someone who could help her control it, help her get a handle on what it was she could even do. That was the most frustrating part. She loved being with the other girls and she was feeling as close to normal as she’d ever felt around them, but she still had no idea about what she could do other than cause damage. But she hadn’t really done anything close to that so far.  
  
The only time she came close to losing it was when her dad dropped by her dorm unexpectedly. Thankfully she and Aubrey were just hanging out - she was working on some music and Aubrey was reading - and not doing anything more amorous. Beca talked about her dad a lot and it was clear that Beca hadn’t told him she was gay - not because she was ashamed of it but because she had a very real fear that it would just be another reason to keep her hidden away. He had had just strolled in unannounced and seemed genuinely concerned that Aubrey was even there. Aubrey picked up on it immediately, she could see the way Beca almost shrank into herself. She knew this was probably going to go badly and she didn't want Beca to have to worry about having to out herself at the same time, so she dealt with it herself.  
  
"I'm Aubrey," she introduced herself. "Posen. Beca and I are in an acapella group together." Beca shot her a grateful look and she just smiled in response.  
  
"Acapella?" her father frowned.  
  
"Yeah," Beca said. "The Bellas. We sing. I’ve mentioned it before."  
  
"I've never heard of The Bellas before," he said suspiciously and Beca grew uneasy. She knew definitively that she’d mentioned the girls before, it had happened right before their last big fight, the night she’d told Aubrey about herself.  
  
"We only formed this year," Aubrey clarified, ignoring his tone. "Probably won't be polished enough to be competitive this season, but we're all really enjoying hanging out and singing and talking about music together."  
  
"I don't think you should be in any kind of group," he said to Beca, now choosing to ignore Aubrey for the moment.  
  
"I do," she said. “I like it. It makes me happy.”  
  
"She's a great asset to the group," Aubrey said. "She's incredibly talented."  
  
"This isn't really a conversation you need to be a part of," he directed to Aubrey.  
  
"Don't," Beca said to her dad. "Don't be like this." The senior didn’t like the way this made her girlfriend speak. All scared and weak. She’d been getting stronger and braver, but he was undoing it all.  
  
"I think you should go," Aubrey said to him evenly. He stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"Are you kidding?" he said to her. "I'm a professor on campus and she is my daughter." She shook her head.   
  
"Professors have no business in student dorms except in cases of life threatening emergencies or serious security breaches," Aubrey said. "And parents are not permitted to be on campus during term without first having signed in at the visitors office on designated visit days except for special circumstances which have to be approved by a member from the student services team. And being that it's a perfectly ordinary Wednesday afternoon I know it's not a visitation day. And I know Beca wasn't expecting you. Which is also a concern because what if Beca's roommate had been here and we hadn't? She shouldn't have to suffer the inconvenience of your unplanned visits purely because you feel like it. What if Kimmy Jin had been changing in here? You didn't even knock, you just let yourself in."  
  
"You can't speak to me like that," her father warned.  
  
"Speak to you how, exactly?" Aubrey said, not backing down for a second. "I've merely repeated what's written in the student guide book and pointed out what a gross abuse of privilege it is and an invasion of privacy to boot. No other professor on campus would just waltz into a student dorm unannounced, and no other parent would be permitted." They stared at each other in a silent stalemate.  
  
"Just go," Beca said in a pleading tone. "You don't need to check up on me every five minutes. I'm just fine." He looked at the blonde on the bed furiously but left. Aubrey didn’t feel like their disagreement was over, but for the minute it was, so she turned her attention to Beca.  
  
"How do you know how to deal with that?" Beca asked, shrinking into her chair. "I can barely handle him looking at me and you just... do that." The other girl shrugged.  
  
"Let's go for a walk," Aubrey said. "Not on campus. Let's just go to the park and be outside in the sun. Then we can go back to mine and stay there." That sounded perfect to Beca so she got up and packed a few things, and they headed to Aubrey's car.

 

They stopped at the out of the way coffee shop they liked and grabbed lattes to drink while they strolled hand in hand through the park together without saying a word. The afternoon sun was warm against Beca’s skin even though the weather was a little colder, and she felt herself relaxing the longer they walked. Beca took both their cups and disposed of them in a trash can.

 

“You okay now?” Aubrey asked. Instead of responding, Beca just pulled her in close. She looked into her eyes for a few moments before she kissed her.

 

Aubrey’s eyes fluttered closed as Beca kissed her. Something she’d already learned even in these early stages of their relationship was that Beca couldn’t always talk about her feelings much. It wasn’t hard to figure out why. But Beca showed her. She had problems with the words, but not with the actions. The way she kissed her, the way she held her. It didn’t bother Aubrey one bit that she wasn’t able to say what she felt out loud. All that mattered was that Beca kissed her like this, like she was everything. Held her like she was something to be treasured.

 

“Yeah,” Beca breathed. “I’m good, Bree. Thank you. I always appreciate how you automatically know what I need, sometimes even before I do.”

 

“I realise I might have gone off a bit,” Aubrey said. “But in my defense he shouldn’t just be barging into your room like that. Because like I said, what if Kimmy Jin had been home?”

 

“I know,” Beca said. “I’ll remember that. I actually like having my privacy.”

 

“Well you can have it at my place any time you like,” Aubrey said. “I know it’s not the point, but…” she kissed Beca softly.

 

“Let’s go get dinner,” Beca said. “I suddenly feel like burgers would be a great idea. Call Chloe and see if she wants us to pick her something up.” Aubrey dug her phone back as they headed toward where they’d left the car. The burger place was about a block and half away from the coffee shop, and they placed orders for their dinner, Chloe informing them that she would not be home for the evening.

 

They ate on the couch watching some science fiction movie that wasn’t entirely captivating or entirely boring. It was quiet and comfortable and Beca couldn’t believe how much calmer she felt literally just being in a different building. After they’d finished eating Beca took a quick shower and found Aubrey reading on the couch. She dropped down next to her and found the blonde almost immediately in her face, crawling into her lap.

 

“Hi,” Aubrey said, playing with her still damp hair.

 

“Hi,” Beca replied with a smile.

 

“I just wanted to make sure you know,” Aubrey said, “That you make me really, really happy.”

 

“What?” Beca asked, a little confused.

 

“Well, you’re always saying how much you appreciate what I do for you,” Aubrey said. “But I hope you know that I am happier with you than I’ve ever been before.”

 

“Really?” Beca asked. She did worry about that sometime. She truly didn’t feel like Aubrey saw her as a charity case or something that needed saving. But sometimes she felt so… weak. And unable to return the same sort of support to Aubrey that she was getting.

 

“You understand me, Beca,” Aubrey said. “In a way different to the others. I feel connected to you in a bigger way. And being with you has made me so much happier. It’s hard to explain, but once you feel like even just one person understands you…”

 

“It all gets easier,” Beca said. Aubrey captured her lips with her own and they soon became heavily involved in a fairly serious entanglement.

 

Beca didn’t begin to worry until Aubrey’s shirt came off. And she could ignore the worry for the time being, but that only lasted until Beca’s shirt came off. As Aubrey’s hand caressed the underside of her breast softly before it reached up and grasped her skin firmly, Beca could feel herself grow lightheaded. It was a good feeling - better than good, in fact. But then it hit her, all at once.

 

“Bree - wait,” she said, sitting herself up. “Bree we have to stop.” Aubrey sat up and took a second to collect herself.

 

“Sorry,” she said, barely above a whisper. “Bree, I’m sorry I keep doing this to you.”

 

“It’s okay,” Aubrey said.

 

“No, it’s really not,” Beca said, trying to push tears away. She hated that she was starting to get emotional now. Aubrey handed her shirt back and pulled her own back on.

 

“Talk to me,” Aubrey said. Beca ran her fingertips under her eyes.

 

“It’s so unfair,” Beca said. “Because that was _good_. It felt good. I was enjoying it, and I wanted to keep going. But my head started spinning and I just have no god damn idea what’s going to happen on the first occasion that I decide not to stop kissing you. Because when I start to feel like that it ends in someone getting hurt - normally me. And I can’t take the risk that instead of me, it ends up being you. Because I’d never be able to forgive myself if I did that.”

 

“Beca, I know that you’re worried about hurting me, but I’m not scared to be with you,” Aubrey said.

 

“Dammit, I just wish there was someone who could help me,” Beca said. “If I knew how to control it even just a little… But I don’t. I’m just destined to freak out every time we start to get somewhere because I’m too scared that I’m going to accidentally kill you. I don’t want to be afraid of my feelings, afraid of how you make me feel, Aubrey. That’s not fair to either of us.” Beca was crying pretty solidly now. Aubrey’s heart was breaking. They’d talked about this a few times, but this was the first time Beca had been so open about it. She pulled Beca into her lap and held her close.

 

“I love you, Beca,” Aubrey said. “And I know that you’re scared and tired of being scared, and you just want help. But I love you. And one day we’re going to find a place where both of us are safe. I don’t know where it is, and I don’t know when that’s going to happen, but I promise I’m not going anywhere in the meantime.” Beca nodded against the crook of her neck.

 

“It’s just… the worst,” Beca said. “I feel so ripped off. Dad had years to get me help but instead he just locked me in that god damned room.”

 

“I know,” Aubrey said. Beca looked at her.

 

“I’m sorry, Bree. I wish I wasn’t like this, but I am,” Beca said. “I ruined a perfectly good night.” Aubrey smiled and stood up, took her by the hand, and after shutting off the TV and the lights, led her into the bedroom. They got changed into pajamas and climbed into bed, Aubrey curling up against her side.

 

“As long as it ends just like this, nothing is ruined in the slightest,” Aubrey said. “And maybe one day there will be a place where people like us can go to get help. I know Chloe’s really into that idea. Mixing psychology with power so people can get a better understanding of themselves. ”

 

“Chloe?” Beca asked. She held back a yawn.

 

“For sure,” Aubrey said. “She’s studying psych. She’d be great at it, I think. She can sense power, when it’s getting unstable and she wants to help people. But there’d be so much more involved with powers involved. She’s talked about it a bit.”

 

“She would be good at it,” Beca said. Aubrey pressed a kiss to her jaw and they let themselves drift off to sleep.

 

Beca was feeling a bit better in the morning. She woke to a few messages from her dad on her phone but she chose to ignore them for the time being and deal with that later. Despite all the heavy stuff that had happened at the end of last night, she was feeling good and she didn’t want that to get ruined immediately. They talked about it over breakfast.

 

“I just don’t get it, Bree,” she said. She paused for a long time, trying to piece together what she wanted to say. “He dragged me down here and told me I needed to be more social and put myself out there. But now he wants to keep me hidden away. He can’t keep doing this, I’m an adult, you know?”

 

“I know,” Aubrey said. “Does he think he’s just going to be able to pop into your workplace in five, six years just to check up on you?”

 

“It’s just confusing,” Beca said, shaking her head. They finished off their breakfast and began collecting their things together to head back to campus. Beca’s phone vibrated with a couple more texts from her dad during the drive.

 

"I should probably go and talk to him," Beca said with a sigh as they pulled up. “I have time before my class.”

 

"Are you sure?" Aubrey asked.

 

"I'll try and reason with him," Beca said. "I'll point out that I'm more stable now than I've been in my entire life. And I'm being social and doing well in school."

 

"If you need me after just call," Aubrey said.

 

"Thanks," Beca said. She kissed her girlfriend quickly and then made her way across campus to her dad's office. She knocked on the open door and waited until he looked up.

 

"Come in," he said. She closed the door automatically and sat down. "I have to say, Beca, after the way your friend yelled at me last night I'm surprised you're here."

 

"She didn't yell," Beca pointed out. "And she made some perfectly valid arguments, Dad."

 

"Did she now?"

 

"Yes, she did," Beca continued. "Let's start with the most glaring. What if you had just let yourself in unannounced and my roommate had been in there? Changing. Studying. Having sex. Whatever."

 

"But she wasn't."

 

"Not the point," Beca said. "Because you've made a habit of just popping in to check on me and you've never announced yourself beforehand, you just show up. Aubrey was right. That needs to stop because if you're doing it as a professor it's in violation of about a million rules and if you're doing it as my father you're still in violation of about another million rules."

 

"Beca, you know that things aren't normal for you though," he said. "I have to keep an eye on you."

 

"Why though?" she asked. "Have you seen me out of control, or approaching out of control? Is something concerning you to the point where I need to be checked up on?"

 

"Well..."

 

"The only two times I've come close to having a meltdown this year were directly after conversations I had with you," Beca said. "After you drilled into me how dangerous and horrible I am."

 

"Beca."

 

"No, this is an important conversation," Beca said. "You are not going to have this freedom to just waltz into my personal space all the time. How is that going to work in the real world when I get a job? You brought me to college to socialise me and get me functioning in the real world but now that I am, you're freaking out. But the girls and Aubrey... they're incredible. I really like them. I have friends, who like me and support me and understand me."

 

"Aubrey doesn't know you," her dad said. "None of them do."

 

"The girls don't know everything about me," she admitted. "But Aubrey does. She knows it all." She waited so the implication of that could register with her dad.

 

"What right do you have to tell that girl our family business!?" he seethed. "You have no right to tell those sorts of things to her."

 

"I do," Beca said. "She understands, dad. She's - like me. And we found each other and I'm happy because all my life I've been looking for just one person who gets what it's like. And she does."

 

"I can't say I'm a fan of hers."

 

"Because she rightly called you out on your controlling behaviour?" Beca asked. "I don't care how you feel about her. Because she's the most important person in the world to me."

 

"What.... hang on," her dad said. "Are you...?"

 

"Yeah," Beca said softly. "We've been together about six months now. And like I keep trying to tell you, I'm happy. And I have friends and a girlfriend. And I'm doing well in school. And I'm not afraid for once in my life. But I need you to back off."

 

"I can't do that," he said. "You're too dangerous."

 

"I'm asking you to respect the fact that I'm an adult and I don't need you breathing down my neck," Beca said. "If you can't stop checking up on me or dropping by my room uninvited, I'll lodge a complaint. Because as a student here I’m entitled to privacy. And independence. Just like everyone else. You were the one who decided I needed those things in the first place. Let me have them. Stop trying to lock me away." He just looked at her blankly.

 

"I don't know if I can do that," he repeated. Beca didn't really know what else to say to convince him, so she left. She had nothing left to say. She texted Aubrey to let her know she was pretty okay. Sure it hadn’t gone great, but she didn’t have the highest expectations walking in there. Aubrey texted back asking if she needed to come find her, but Beca said she’d be fine and she’d catch up with her and Chloe for dinner before Bellas that evening.

 

Over the meal, she relayed to the seniors how the conversation had gone. Aubrey was sympathetic, and so was Chloe, but she also offered some insight.

 

“Maybe there’s another issue at play here,” Chloe said.

 

“What would that be?” Beca asked.

 

“Maybe he’s terrified that if he lets you stray too far, he loses you as well,” Chloe said. “He’s doing it in a very roundabout and misguided way, but it could just be that he doesn’t want to lose you, Beca.”

 

“The way he’s going now, he probably will,” Beca said. “Maybe that’s a point I should bring up. Because every time he gets on my case like that I just want to get as far away from him as possible. It’s complicated.”

 

“Not so complicated,” Chloe said. “You still haven’t forgiven him for the way he handled your gift growing up - I’m with you on that. He handled that horribly. Once you were physically strong enough to put an end to it, he began to lock you up in a more psychological sense and because you’ve been dependent on him you had no choice but to hear it. And now that you’re legally an adult and are making choices for yourself, he’s losing that control as well. He tries harder to grab on, just makes you shake him off.” Aubrey and Beca just stared at her for a second.

 

“Okay Ms Psych Major,” Beca said throwing a French fry at her. “Nah, that’s pretty valid. And regardless of how easily you explained it, it’s not so easy to undo it.”

 

“I don’t imagine so,” Chloe said. She picked the fry Beca had thrown up off her plate where it had landed and bit into it.

 

“Okay, let’s go,” Aubrey said. “We don’t want to be late for the rest of the girls.” They paid the check and left, headed toward the auditorium. Beca smiled as they approached. She really liked this place. As she set foot in the door, she forgot about her father all together.

 


	6. Chapter 6

She managed to avoid her dad for a while after that, and it seemed like he was taking her threats of making a complaint against him seriously. It was refreshing to not have such a heavy presence weighing her down everywhere she went. It had led to a pretty big upturn in her mood in general, and Beca could safely say that right now she was pretty much the happiest she’d ever been.

 They were on their way to Bellas - Beca and Aubrey, and Chloe. Beca was a little nervous tonight, but it was for an important reason. She’d been talking with Aubrey and Chloe a lot about the girls and she’d come to a decision. It was a huge step for Beca, but she decided she wanted to explain a little bit more about herself to the other girls that night. Aubrey assured her that she didn’t have to, and the girls weren’t bugging anyone for info, but Beca felt okay about it. They’d been nothing but supportive and amazing to her. So as they entered Bellas that night, Aubrey just had them wait before they resumed their normal chatting and hanging out so Beca could talk to them.

“It’s just gonna be a minute of me talking,” Beca said to them. “I know I’ve been really guarded this year and I appreciate that you all haven’t been hassling me trying to get me to open up. But because of you guys, and Bree, I really feel comfortable and at home here.” Aubrey was sitting next to her clutching her hand.

“You’re family,” Stacie said. “Whatever you got.”

“I still don’t feel comfortable explicitly talking about what I can do,” Beca said. “But I want to tell you a bit more about me and why I am the way I am. You guys have been great about not asking questions when I get anxious or need to bail. So here goes. A lot of my anxiety and stuff is because I don’t know much about the limits of my power. All I know is that it can be very destructive and people get hurt, so I don’t like to engage it at all and that’s why I sometimes disappear. I’m just so terrified of hurting people. And I worry a lot because hearing that I can hurt people tends to make them afraid. But I’m working really hard on figuring out how to handle it, only nobody’s ever really tried to help me understand or control my power before. I’ve been punished for it, but never shown how to handle it, so it’s pretty hard.” 

“Does your dad know about it?” Cynthia Rose asked. Beca paused for a moment. This was bordering close to too much information. She didn’t mind sharing with them about her dad, but her mom would be too much, right now.

“He tried to get me to repress it,” Beca said. “Locked me up in a room to try and contain me. Didn’t really work. Did more harm than good, really. And… okay give me sec here, this is the heavy shit.” Chloe leaned over and rubbed her arm.

“You’re doing great, Becs,” she encouraged. Even that helped a lot. Chloe was really good at that kind of stuff.

“A lot of the psychological stuff that goes with that is still fucking me up,” Beca said delicately. “More than the physical. We’re not… close. And the psychological seems to be the stuff that brings on the physical, which is just fucking awesome since he teaches on campus. Which brings me to another point. He knows I come here and that Aubrey and I both have powers, but not the rest of you. He’s absolutely livid that Aubrey knows the truth about me. If he comes asking questions… I hate to ask you to hide…”

“No, dude, we’ve got you,” Amy said. “Acapella bitches, all the way.” The other girls were all in agreement.

“Thank you,” Beca said. “So yeah, I’m jumpy and anxious, but I’m trying. And you guys are making it easier. I hope this doesn’t scare any of you off, since I basically just told you I’m this unstable destructo-girl, but it’s not normal for me to feel so connected to people and I know that I can trust you guys. I just wanted you to know that whilst I still don’t want people knowing really what I can do, I’m not as afraid as I used to be, and a lot of that is because of you girls.”

“You can trust us,” Jessica said. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

“Uh uh, you’re stuck with us for life,” Ashley said. Beca couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay. Um, awesome. But that’s enough talking about me now, if that’s okay,” Beca said. Fortunately Amy didn’t ever need encouragement to grab the spotlight and she easily changed the subject.

“You okay?” Aubrey asked her softly.

“I think so,” Beca said. “I don’t talk about myself very much and it feels weird.”

“You did so well babe, I’m really proud of you,” she said. She leaned over and kissed her softly. Beca just leaned into her shoulder for a bit, finding that as always, Aubrey was the thing that made her feel most safe and most comfortable.

It was later in the night that Stacie dropped down next to her. Beca liked Stacie. In general, they couldn’t be more opposite. Stacie was outgoing and bold and supremely confident in herself. Beca wasn’t jealous but she was definitely in admiration of the other girl, that was a fact.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” Beca replied.

“Can we talk?” Stacie said. “I don’t want you to worry, and if you don’t want to it’s okay. But… maybe we have more in common than you might think.

“What do you mean?” Beca asked.

“Well… you were saying that nobody ever taught you how to control it,” Stacie said. “Most people get a handle on it when they’re young. Before the power blossoms, at puberty. You know, all the literature says they have to get it early.”

“Yeah.”

“I was a late catch, too,” Stacie said. “In a sense. I didn’t get a handle on it til right before senior year.”

“Seriously?” Beca said.

“Oh yeah,” Stacie said. “I was at a bit of a disadvantage because puberty hit me younger than most which means my full power hit a lot earlier than a lot of people would expect. It meant I was also a bit of a wild entity.”

“So what did you do?”

“I’m really lucky,” Stacie said. “Do you know much about the statistics and science of the genes involved?”

“Not remotely,” Beca said. “Just that it’s not common, but also not as rare as people think.”

“From a genetic standpoint though, there are no hereditary markers required,” Stacie said. “It’s a completely spontaneous occurrence. Powered people are not guaranteed to have powered offspring etcetera. It’s possible, but that would definitely fall into the realm of rare. Like, one in two point six million. That’s the odds.”

“You’re telling me-?”

“My mom,” Stacie said. “I haven’t been able to find another instance of it occurring anywhere. Fortunately she had quite possibly the most convenient power ever which is basically the ability to create a limited force field that shields anyone inside it from harm. Not ridiculously large, but large enough.”

“That’s kinda cool,” Beca said.

“So she could help me,” Stacie said. Beca couldn’t even remember what Stacie’s power was. “And I could also be what people would consider dangerous. Maybe not in a destructo-girl kind of way like you, but just as lethal.”

“Oh,” Beca said. Stacie could see that she was wondering. So Stacie held out her hand and Beca took it. She felt anxious at first but soon she felt her heart beating steady and even. That was not something that happened to her often. She looked up at Stacie, wondering if it was something she was doing.

“I can manipulate existing biological impulses,” Stacie said. “Not like, bringing people back from the dead, there has to be something there. But I slowed your heart rate. And just as easily I could have sped it up, until it was too much for your body to cope with.”

“Wow,” Beca said.

“Just a couple of things for you to remember,” Stacie said. “One - you aren’t alone. Two - we’re not just our powers. We’re more than that, if we decide we are. Because I can kill a person, just by holding their hand if I want to. But I wouldn’t do that. I have the ability to do terrible things, but that doesn’t make me a terrible person. And those distinctions don’t just apply to people like us, they apply to everyone.” Beca nodded slowly.

“Thanks Stacie,” she said. Stacie made to get up. “Hey, wait.”

“Yeah?”

“The statistics and science about it all,” Beca said. “You don’t happen to have any of that… here?” The taller girl smiled at her.

“I’ll drop some by tomorrow,” Stacie said. “My room is full of it. I’m a bit of science nerd. And I think you might find it helpful, even just a little.” 

“Thanks,” Beca said. Stacie got up and Aubrey dropped into her spot. Girls were starting to make their way out for the night now, just Chloe chatting with Jessica and Ashley on the opposite side of the room and the two of them seated on the floor.

“Productive talk? You both looked quite serious,” she said.

“Just talking about getting a handle on it,” Beca said. “Stacie is a lot more clued in to this than I am. She’s going to help, she has some stuff for me to read.”

“Yeah, Chloe said the other day that she and Stacie talk about this kind of stuff a lot. Stacie is interested in the biology of it all, Chlo in the psychology,” Aubrey said. “Did you want to stay at mine tonight?”

“I would really love that,” Beca said.

“Good,” Aubrey said. “So would I. I think we should stop and pick up some ice cream though.”

“Yeah, good plan,” Beca said. “I need some stuff though, so maybe we should let Chlo know we’re heading out?”

“She’s crashing with Jess,” Aubrey said. “Jess is having some problems with a Psych assessment so Chloe offered to help, since she’s like, all over that.” They said good night to the other girls and headed out across campus. Beca slipped her hand into Aubrey’s, feeling like a regular girl walking across campus with her beautiful girlfriend.

“You smile a lot more now,” Aubrey said quietly.

“Yeah,” Beca said. “Can’t help it.”

“Oh, I’m not complaining,” Aubrey clarified. “It’s beautiful.” Beca only managed a few more steps before she pulled Aubrey in toward her and kissed her. She felt the slight pressure as Aubrey’s arms settled around her waist and pulled her fractionally closer, letting herself lean into the blonde a bit more. They let themselves enjoy the moment, paying no mind to the few people still around who might be able to see them. Soon enough Beca pulled back a little before leaving a last little kiss on her lips. But they didn’t speak again until after they’d made their way to Beca’s dorm, where Beca’s roommate was reading a textbook on her bed.

“Hi,” Beca said.

“Hey,” Kimmy Jin responded disinterestedly. Beca had been thinking about her roommate a little, just in the context of the stuff with her dad.

“Hey Kimmy Jin?” Beca said.

“Yeah?”

“Has my dad ever just like, dropped by when I’m not here?” Beca asked.

“A few times, yeah,” she said.

“I’m sorry about that,” Beca said sincerely. “I had a pretty serious discussion with him recently about shit like that. I don’t think he’ll do it again, I was pretty clear that it was unacceptable, but if he does it again, just let me know? I don’t want him to inconvenience you.” Kimmy Jin was surveying her intently.

“Okay,” she said. “Thank you. Are you staying at Aubrey’s tonight?”

“Yeah,” Beca said. “I’ll see you later.” Kimmy Jin just nodded and returned to her textbook while Beca stuck a few things in her bag and they left. They headed back to Aubrey and Chloe’s apartment, detouring past a 7-11 to grab some ice cream and ate it on the couch while they listened to music and talked. Beca was happiest in moments like this, with Aubrey right next to her, music playing and no other worries at all. Aubrey was, too. She might not have been as anxious as Beca in her day to day life, but she still had a deep current of apprehension and fear that sat tidily in the bottom in her stomach. But Beca made that go away.

They were laying in bed, and Aubrey was just about asleep when she felt Beca roll a little and lay on her back. She was about to roll over and see if she was okay when she realised Beca was talking. Barely audibly, but she was whispering quietly. Aubrey stayed quiet so she could listen, facing away from her.

“I do feel like I’m getting better,” Beca said. “With the anxiety stuff, anyway. But man I wish I was brave enough to tell you for real just how much you mean to me. Because I’d still be this closed off, wreck of a person without you. I feel like you’re my lifeline in this thing. My safe place. And I love you. I wish I could tell you out loud. Maybe one day I will be able to.” She didn’t say anything else, but Aubrey’s heart was racing and she had tears in her eyes. She so wanted to roll over and kiss her until she was breathless. But Beca was saying that stuff because she thought she was asleep, and she didn’t want to throw her off or startle her. It was a tough battle, but she managed to restrain herself. She settled for rolling over in a feigned-sleepy manner and cuddling into her. Beca cuddled her right back and they fell asleep breathing each other in.

The next day Stacie found Beca in the mid-afternoon, bringing with her two books and some articles she’d read and thought might be helpful. Beca thanked her profusely and they sat on Beca’s bed 

“I’ve never been this excited about extracurricular reading in my life,” Beca said. “But I’m hoping maybe if I understand some of what’s behind it, I might be able to control it.”

“It’s a shame there isn’t more study on powers harnessed post-pubescence,” Stacie said. “But most of the facilities in existence that deal with teaching control are for young children. And of course, not all of them have stellar reputations.”

“How many are there?” Beca asked.

“In America?” Stacie said. “Maybe ten. But the government doesn’t enjoy the idea of funding research in areas for people who have the potential capacity to overthrow them - because naturally we’re all planning an apocalyptic seizure of the country, right? - so we’re left with private institutions which answer to nobody and unfortunately they can research whatever they want.”

“They can?”

“Sure,” Stacie said. “And for the most part they do just want to help because controlled power is beneficial for everyone. But there are talks that maybe some of these places aren’t so benevolent in nature. Looking to harness the power for their own gain. Or to test the limits of an individuals power, but really test. How much is too much? Or experimenting to see if can they engineer these traits in others with the right genetic information”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Beca said. “I know it seems irrational. But - what I can do, Stace. It’s the kind of thing I know people would want to study. Try to replicate. And it would be effective-” she shook her head.

“As a weapon?” Stacie said. Beca looked at her with an expression to indicate she was right. “Me too. But I don’t think that’s irrational, Beca. I think it’s perfectly rational. Chloe thinks that the world sees people like us in two different ways - one is to see us as a threat. Will we hurt them? That sort of thing. The other is what we can do for them in a practical application. Which of course is a whole different set of problems with a different set of concerns and ethics.” 

“I might also be afraid,” Beca said, “that even knowing the worst I’ve been capable of, there’s more. And I don’t want to hurt people but if there’s more, then I don’t see how that’s not possible.” Stacie gave her a sympathetic look.

“That must be a real bitch with how you feel about Bree,” she said.

“It’s the worst,” Beca said. “Because I’m so afraid of hurting her that I can feel myself holding back. Because I don’t know enough about myself to trust that I won’t hurt her. She tells me she’s not afraid and all of that, and I know she’s not, but I am. Fucking terrified.”

“But you both seem really happy, though,” Stacie said, steering the conversation into a more positive place. She could tell Beca was getting down on herself.

“So happy,” Beca said. “And I’m hoping the stuff you’ve given me helps me just a bit more.”

“Well if you have any questions about it, the science stuff, give me a call,” Stacie said. “The head stuff, probably better for Chloe. But if you just need to talk, Beca.

“I really appreciate that, Stacie,” Beca said. “Thank you.”

“And I’ve got more,” she said. “Lots more.” The other girl let herself out and Beca immediately started reading the top article. It was pretty complicated and she was about halfway through the first page when she got up and moved to her desk. She needed to concentrate and she also needed to be able to take notes because she already had questions.

Aubrey found her in the same spot almost two hours later, onto her second article now and a list of hastily scratched questions on one notepad page, followed by some of her own notes on another. She smiled a little. Beca wasn’t anti study any more, but she’d never really seen this level of concentration on her face.

“Oh hey,” Beca said. She made a little pencil mark on the article so she didn’t lose where she was up to and immediately held a hand out to Aubrey, swiveling away from the desk. The blonde settled happily on her lap astride the chair and kissed her.

“What are you reading?”

“Stacie dropped some stuff by,” Beca said. “Biological background of powers, that sort of thing. We talked a bit. She’s pretty up on this so she said if I had any questions about it I could ask her.”

“How are you finding it?” Aubrey asked.

“Complicated,” Beca said. “I’m not really a science kind of person so I hope she doesn’t mind, but she’s going to have to really break a couple of things down for me. How much do you know about this stuff?”

“The science? Not much,” Aubrey said. “Chloe and I talk about it from a psychological and philosophical perspective sometimes.”

“God I’ve got so much to learn,” Beca mumbled.

“Well we’re all here to help you,” Aubrey said. Beca kissed her. 

“I think a dinner date with my beautiful girlfriend would be most helpful at this point,” she said. Aubrey got up and helped her out of the chair, the two of them deciding to head into town for something rather than stay on campus. Afterward, Beca headed back to her dorm on her own, hoping to at least finish the article she’d started before getting some sleep. When she opened the door, however, she saw her dad sitting at her desk waiting.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought I told you not to do this.”

“I think a more appropriate question might be - what the hell is all of this garbage?” he asked, gesturing to the stuff Stacie had given her, strewn across her desk. The two of them stared resolutely at each other in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

Beca pulled out her phone and texted Aubrey before she responded. It was a simple message - [Dad’s in my room. Found the stuff Stacie brought.]

“Why are you in my room, alone?” she asked. She hoped Aubrey was nearby because she couldn’t see how this was going to end well.

“I’m your father.”

“That isn’t an explanation,” she said.

“Tell me what this is,” he said, gesturing to the desk.

“This is me attempting to educate myself about my genetic predispositions since you refused to help me,” Beca said. “Now can you please explain why you still continue to let yourself into my room even though I explained to you that it is an inconvenience to both me and my roommate?”

“You know exactly why,” he said, shooting a dirty look at the papers littering her desktop. Beca had to remind herself to stay calm because she could feel her heartbeat starting to race a little. She casually walked over toward him and gathered the materials up, along with her laptop, and stuck them in her messenger bag. She opened a drawer to pull out her charger and realised -

“You’ve been going through my things.” She kept all of her flash drives in the drawer, held in a little blue box. The box was empty and the flash drives were rattling around loose. The more she looked around her desk and her dresser, the more she saw things that were just slightly out of place. 

“And?”

“Get out.” She couldn’t even put into words how violated she felt. This was the first time she’d noticed, but what was to say he hadn’t done this before? What was to say he hadn’t done the same to Kimmy Jin’s stuff? She felt dirty. 

“I’m your father,” he said. Beca was so sick of hearing that justification.

“Get out or I will have campus security get you out,” she said. She could feel pressure building inside her chest and tried to force herself to take a deep breath. If she could get him out of the room she would at least be able to get up to the roof before she lost the little bit of control she was hanging on to.

“As long as I pay for this room I will come here as I see fit,” he said.

“Right,” she said. She let her eyes close and took another deep breath. The tense feeling in her chest was only getting tighter now and she spent a minute or so fighting it back down. Suddenly she felt a slight fumble at her side and then she felt fingers interlacing with her own. It was coupled with a familiar smell and she instinctively turned toward the body.

“You okay?” she heard Aubrey whisper. Somehow she immediately began to feel a bit better and that tight feeling began to dissipate.

“Not entirely,” Beca said opening her eyes. “Apparently my dad thinks that him footing the bill for this room grants him permission to let himself in and also to go through my stuff.”

“Oh really?” Aubrey said to him.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” he said to Aubrey. “But what you’re doing here is only going to end up in you getting hurt.”

“Where’s your RA?” Aubrey said to Beca..

“End of the hall,” Beca said. “His name is Joseph.” Aubrey disappeared and came back with Joseph in tow.

“Professor, this student has requested that you leave the dorm area immediately,” he said. He was a tall guy who looked like he might have been an athlete once but now probably spent more time bent over books.

“It’s okay young man, I’m a professor here,” Beca’s dad said condescendingly.

“Sorry dude, but unless this building is burning down and you’re rescuing someone, you really shouldn’t be in here,” he said. “Contravenes your code of ethics.”

“Even if that girl is my daughter?” he questioned. 

“Yep,” he said. “Doesn’t matter who she is to you. Once she’s an enrolled student she’s entitled the right to privacy same as anyone else. I’m also gonna need whatever key you have that you keep letting yourself in here with, because it’s pretty clear this door hasn’t been tampered with.”

“I don’t have one.” It was a clear lie, a pathetic attempt.

“Bullshit,” Beca said. “I remember. You made me give you my keys when I moved in, for sure you made a copy.”

“Just hand them over,” Joseph said. “Don’t make me call campus security, those dudes are jerks and then there’ll be a formal complaint and everything.”

“There’s already going to be one of those,” Beca said. “I already asked him to stop this shit or I’d make a complaint. It’s not the first time he’s been in my room with no warning.”

“Right then,” Professor Mitchell said. “Then you can find someone else to bankroll your room.” He fished some keys from his pocket, unhooked a silver key and dropped it on the floor before he walked out.

“You ladies need me for anything else?” Joseph asked.

“Just if student affairs asks - “ Aubrey said.

“Come by in the morning I’ll have it on paper,” he said. “Fuckin’ creep. Sorry. I know he’s your dad but like - what if your roommate was in there? Changing or banging or something.”

“I know,” Beca said. “Thank you.” He disappeared with the bootleg key in his hand.

“So...” Aubrey said. “I guess it’s pretty quick to be talking about these sorts of things but do you want to stay with me and Chlo for a while? Since your dad seems to be pulling your tuition.”

“He can’t pull the tuition,” Beca said. “The room, yeah. But mom’s estate is paying for a college degree and that’s completely separate from him. It’s held in trust specifically for my education.”

“Right,” Aubrey said. “It’s getting late.”

“Let me grab a few things and I’ll come back to yours,” Beca said. “We can talk about the fine details in the morning. But I should leave a note for Kimmy Jin.” Beca started writing a note, and Aubrey collected a few of the things that Beca tended to bring when she stayed over.

They got back to the apartment where they filled Chloe in on the situation. Chloe was understandably concerned and said she had a classmate who worked part time in the student services building so she’d arrange for Beca to sit down with him to sort things out.

“If you could, Chlo,” Beca said. “That would be great. I really just want it to be clear that there are lines he needs to respect, I don’t want it to be this big dramatic thing.”

“But Beca, if he’s serious about pulling the room payments after this semester, of course you should stay with us,” Chloe said. “That’s not even a question, you’re here almost all the time anyway.”

“Thanks,” Beca said. “I think it’s just better to get some sleep and deal with the rest in the morning.” Chloe ruffled her hair as she passed Beca and Aubrey side by side on the couch.

“You okay?” Aubrey asked.

“Yeah,” Beca said. “Thanks for coming back. I could feel myself getting more and more tense and I was sure I was about to lose it until you walked in.” Aubrey’s arm wrapped around her and pulled her a little closer. 

“I’ll always come back for you if you need it,” Aubrey promised. Beca kissed her softly, but let it linger for a while. She really wanted to just blurt out how much she loved Aubrey but for some reason she couldn’t do it. She kissed her again a little harder and then rested their foreheads together.

“It’s okay Beca,” Aubrey said. “You don’t have to say it. I know it.” Beca wrapped her arms around her. She was beyond lucky to have Aubrey. How many other girls would be willing to hang around when she was so afraid of what she felt she couldn’t even say the words ‘I love you’ out loud? Aubrey tugged her up and they made their way into the bedroom where they changed and slid in to bed. It took Beca a while to calm her brain down, but lying next to Aubrey, the even breathing and just the scent of her so close, it was enough to pull her into sleep. 

The following morning Aubrey woke up and found Beca was already awake. That was unusual - normally the smaller girl was the last out of bed. But she’d apparently been up long enough to grab a notebook and start scribbling down a history of the times her dad had arrived at her room unannounced. Aubrey sat up and slung an arm around her, kissing her on the cheek.

“Oh, did I wake you?” Beca asked. “Sorry, couldn’t sleep.”

“No,” Aubrey said. “Want some coffee?”

“Let me,” Beca said. 

“You keep doing that,” Aubrey said. “Won’t be long.” The blonde disappeared for a few moments and returned with two cups of coffee. Beca momentarily shifted the notebook aside.

“Are you worried about this formal complaint thing?” Aubrey asked her. 

“A bit,” Beca said. “I’m trying to remind myself that this isn’t about the power stuff, it’s about him abusing his position. I just have to keep that in mind once I’m there.”

“Chlo was in the kitchen before, her friend said to drop by whenever,” Aubrey said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“I’ll go by myself,” Beca said. “But I’ll call you straight after and let you know. I’m going to go before class, I just want to get it over with. But of course, I have time to finish coffee sitting here with you before I head out.” They drank their coffee, and Beca pulled Aubrey toward her, relegating their mugs to the floor. She found Aubrey in pajamas and a tousled bun really hot and wanted to make sure she conveyed that adequately. 

After they wasted a little time in bed, Beca jumped in the shower before she headed back to her dorm. Kimmy Jin was awake and waiting for her, having read the note she’d left the night before. She mainly wanted to see if Beca was okay.

“Yeah,” Beca said. “I’m fine. But I’m officially lodging a complaint because he can’t keep doing this. It’d help if you could write down dates and times of when he was here when I wasn’t.”

“I’ll do it now,” she said. “I mean, it was definitely an inconvenience, but I’m sure it was a million times worse for you.”

“We had to get Joseph to kick him out,” Beca said. 

“You and Aubrey?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Beca said.

“I like her,” Kimmy Jin said. “Since you guys have started hanging out, and with those other girls, I’ve noticed you’re a bit different.”

“Different how?” Beca asked, starting to panic internally.

“You just used to be a lot more tense,” Kimmy Jin said. “But you’ve found some people who chill you out. That’s good.”

“Thanks,” Beca said. But she felt like she should clarify it a little for her roommate. “I do feel more relaxed. But Aubrey’s not my friend, she’s my girlfriend.”

“Yeah, I’m not an idiot,” Kimmy Jin said. “I’ll write that stuff down now.”

“I’ve gotta go see Joseph,” Beca said. “Thanks, Kimmy Jin.” She headed down the hall to see the RA. She knocked on his door and waited until he hollered that it was okay to come in.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Hang on.”

“Dude, have you even slept since last night?” Beca asked. He looked exhausted and there was a collection of Red Bull cans haphazardly surrounding his trash can.

“Oh not really,” he said. “Got a couple of research papers due. But I did write that report for you, no prob.” He sifted through a couple of bits of paper and fished two out for her.

“I appreciate it,” she said.

“Bit of a brutal deal,” he said. “Dad seems like the helicopter extreme parent.”

“Yeah, it’s ridiculous,” Beca said. “I tried to explain it to him but it just doesn’t sink in. But I’m not going to put up with it for the next couple years.”

“Good for you,” he said. 

“I better go,” Beca said. “I’ve got an appointment with student services in like twenty minutes.”

“Good luck,” he said.

“Thanks. You too, with the research papers,” she said awkwardly and headed back to her room. It didn’t take Kimmy Jin long at all to get something down on paper - by the time Beca had changed her sweater she had already printed a page out to give her. She took the page, plus the ones from Joseph and stuck them in the notebook with her own notes and headed to the student services building. 

She found a desk and asked for Omar, and the girl pointed her to the far corner where a young man was sitting and reading something on his computer with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Sorry are you Omar?” Beca asked.

“I am,” he said.

“I’m Beca Mitchell, Chloe Beale mentioned I was gonna stop by,” she said.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Something about lodging a complaint. Sit down.” She sat and pulled out her notes. 

“So, it’s a pretty complicated situation,” she said. “Because the basis of it is that Professor Mitchell is my dad. But he’s also a professor on campus. And probably a couple dozen times now, he’s just appeared in my room without warning - sometimes when I wasn’t even there and it was just my roommate. He does it unannounced, lets himself in with a key he had cut, to check up on me. And I asked him not to do it, but he hasn’t listened.”

“Okay,” Omar said.

“I even brought to his attention that he was violating university rules regardless of whether he was doing this as my parent or as a professor,” Beca said. “And yesterday I got home and found him in my room, going through my stuff. He wouldn’t leave until my RA, Joseph Mentz, threatened to call campus security.”

“So you want to lodge a formal complaint of harassment?” Omar asked. “Against a professor or your dad? Weird question I know. But it’ll make a difference.”

“Against a professor,” Beca said. “The family thing complicates it, but at the end of the day, I’m legally an adult enrolled on this campus and as a professor who teaches at this university he has no business going through any student’s room or letting himself in without permission.”

“Does he still have the key?” Omar asked. He was typing rapidly at the same time.

“No, the RA confiscated it,” Beca said. “I’ve also got a statement from him regarding the events of last night, and a list of occasions from my roommate when she was unfortunately burdened with his surprise presence. Plus one from me.”

“I’ll need copies of all of those,” he said. Beca handed them over and he finished typing before he got up and copied them.

“So we can absolutely lodge a complaint,” he said. “But you need to think about whether this is something you want to do. Because professor, yes, but he’s also your dad. And this is going to probably end in him being severely disciplined, possibly fired.”

“If you knew our backstory, you’d know that wasn’t an issue,” she said. “I appreciate you making me think it over, but I just want to go to school and be a normal student.”

“Okay,” he said. He printed a couple of copies of the complaint paperwork and Beca signed them.

“So what’s the process?” Beca asked. 

“I go drop this right now in the urgent tray on my bosses desk,” he said. “She reviews it, it’ll go to the Dean. You’ll probably have to speak with the Dean. How hard is he going to fight this?”

“I don’t know,” Beca said.

“But you’ve got supporting documentation,” he said.

“Plus my girlfriend was there a couple times too,” she said. “She was there last night.”

“I’ll keep you posted by email and by phone,” he said. “But this qualifies as a fairly high level breach of the professor code of ethics.” She nodded and picked up her copy of the paperwork.

“Thanks Omar,” she said. “I know it seems a bit weird…”

“But like you said, Beca,” he replied. “You’re an enrolled student. Once that happens, it doesn’t matter what your external relationship is.” She nodded and headed out. That had gone surprisingly well. She checked her watch. Aubrey was still going to be in class, that was a given. So she texted her with an update and then headed off to her own first class of the day.

The rest of the day went almost weirdly uneventfully. She received an email just before lunch from Omar’s boss, a woman named Leslie Bauer, who wanted to inform her that her case was being escalated to the Dean. But she met up with Aubrey to get something to eat and spent part of the afternoon kissing her in the sunshine on the quad. After her afternoon class she kept going through some of the stuff Stacie had given her, meeting up with the other freshman after dinner so she could ask some questions. 

“You’re really plowing through it all,” Stacie said. 

“It’s interesting,” Beca said. “I’ve never read anything like this before. But you know, I have questions.”

“Well, shoot,” Stacie said. Beca asked a question and Stacie talked her through the response, sometimes Beca took additional notes, sometimes she just nodded as she let the information sink in.

“I really appreciate you taking time out for this,” Beca said. “I know you could be doing a million other things.”

“This is important shit,” Stacie said. “I’m always going to make time for it.”

“You’re pretty cool,” Beca said. “God damn, my mom would be happy to learn that I’ve got some kick ass friends.”

“You don’t talk about your mom much,” Stacie said. Beca hadn’t even realised she’d said anything about her mom. But Stacie was really being a good friend to her right now and she should really try to reciprocate that.

“No, I don’t,” she said. “Mom died when I was young. And - well. She died trying to protect me, even though I was physically capable of saving myself… So yeah, that’s why I never talk about it.”

“That’s rough man,” Stacie said. “So that’s what turned stuff to shit between you and your dad?”

“I guess he blames me,” Beca said. “It wouldn’t be a reach. But he treats me like I’m this explosive thing ready to go off at any second with no warning. Checks up on me in case I spill my secret. It’s the single biggest panic in his life, that someone finds out what I am, what I can do. What I’ve done.”

“Well, he’s a dick then,” Stacie said. “Every other person in society is judged on their actions, not their potential actions. We shouldn’t be held to different standards because of what we are.”

“I still feel like it’s my fault sometimes,” she said quietly. “Bree’s pretty good and figuring out when I’m getting too hard on myself and she snaps me out of it.”

“You guys are good for each other,” Stacie said. “Chloe hasn’t told me what Aubrey’s power is, but she said she’d hate to have it.”

“It’s a rough one,” Beca agreed. “The irony of the stuff with dad is that he’s the number one trigger that makes me lose control. Every time this year I’ve come close to blowing, it had something to do with him. So I’ve taken some fairly drastic measures to make sure he stays away from me.”

“Like what?”

“I lodged a formal complaint to stop him letting myself into my room whenever he likes,” Beca said. “It’s probably going to end up in him getting fired, apparently. But he can’t keep doing it, it’s not fair to me, or to Kimmy Jin.”

“You’re right,” Stacie said. “Any more questions?” Beca pulled one of the books in her bag out. She had more, only about a thousand.


	8. Chapter 8

She had her stuff moved in to Aubrey and Chloe’s place by that weekend. She didn’t have much stuff with her to begin with, so she barely made a dent in their space. She still double and triple checked with them both that she wasn’t imposing. Chloe was adamant that it wasn’t a problem, and Aubrey loved having her there. 

The one thing she felt bad about was that she was in no position to contribute to the finances of the shared house. She had next to no income at all, just drawing a small amount from her trust. Based on this, she bargained with them that she would do the bulk of the cooking and cleaning - because she wanted to - and when she did manage to get a better kind of financial situation sorted out they could revisit it. She did have plans to meet with her mom’s estate lawyer to see about revising how much she was getting and had sent him an email, but wasn’t expecting much until after the holidays.

It was a pretty easy couple of weeks leading up to Christmas break. She met with Stacie a few more times, the two of them becoming pretty good friends now. The Dean had interviewed her about her complaint against her father. That had been a little nerve wracking, but Aubrey had gone with her for support, and also to attest to the times she’d seen Beca’s dad in her room uninvited. The Dean was taking the complaint very seriously, especially given the sheer number of times he’d let himself in. She only had to interview Beca’s father himself about the allegations, but it was almost impossible for her to conceive of any reasoning to justify it. 

Which brought them to now. It was the last day of classes before Christmas break. Beca was waiting outside the Deans office with Aubrey and Chloe. They were here for moral support again - something for which she was incredibly grateful. She was handling things pretty well but she knew that if hadn’t been for the two of them - and now Stacie as well - she’d be losing the plot.

“Beca, would you mind coming inside?” the Dean asked, opening the door for her. She followed the older woman in and saw her father looking thoroughly displeased.

“Beca your father has indicated he would like to challenge the complaint made against him due to extenuating circumstances,” she said. “Only he can’t tell me what they are. He suggested I ask you, but in all honesty, this just seems a little ridiculous.” Beca had anticipated this. But Aubrey wasn’t the type to let her girlfriend go into a situation like this unprepared.

“No, ma’am, I’m more than happy to discuss it with you,” she said. Professor Mitchell looked utterly terrified and shot daggers at her to keep her quiet. She simply ignored him.

“Dean, I’m sure you’re aware that the Student Charter includes an addendum about the equal treatment and opportunity principle,” Beca said. “In specific, subsection six.”

“The students with enhanced abilities clause?” the Dean asked. “Is that what we’re dealing with here?”

“Yes ma’am,” Beca replied. “Professor Mitchell feels as though he is required to check up on me because of my unusual abilities. He is incorrect. No part of my abilities would be considered an infraction of the Student Charter.”

“You’re required to declare them,” Professor Mitchell said. The Dean turned and looked at him squarely.

“You’re the one who told me not to,” Beca shrugged. “Because you were afraid.”

“Students are only required to declare their abilities in the instance where they would give unfair academic advantage. You know, things such as telepathy,” the Dean said. “Beca, do you believe any of your abilities to contravene the six that are listed as declarable to the University?”

“No ma’am,” she replied. “My abilities are largely physical and have to do with strength and imperviousness to harm.”

“Then it’s a non issue,” she said, turning back to her father. “Professor Mitchell, the severity of the complaint against you is quite serious. You’ve violated the rights of not only Ms Mitchell, but her room mate, on several occasions, using an unauthorised key and going through the personal belongings of students. You have failed to demonstrate any valid logic for these actions, and you also have failed to show any remorse. Daughter or not, Beca is a student on campus and she’s entitled to all of the same rights and protections as anybody else. In light of the evidence presented, you are hereby suspended without pay, until the board can convene and decide on an appropriate penalty.”

“You can’t do that,” he said, stunned. Beca didn’t understand how this could possibly be a shock to him.

“Did you forget whose office you’re in?” she asked in a challenging tone. “I am the Dean of this University and I most certainly can. You’re not tenured. The complaint paperwork shows that you’ve breached your code of ethics over eighty times and it’s not even Christmas yet. I’d be willing to bet the board will refuse to have you teach here again, and you won’t receive a recommendation from us to apply for other work. You need to be off campus in the next two hours. The board will convene January 2.”

“Beca, if this is what you want, your room won’t be bankrolled by me next semester,” he said. “You’ll need to move out.”

“I already did,” she said. “When I caught you going through my things and the RA had to ask you to leave. The lawyer is handling my tuition expenses so I won’t require anything else from you.”

“Thank you for ruining my career,” he said bitterly. Then he left. The Dean turned to Beca who was sitting with her eyes closed. She felt… free.

“Ms Mitchell?” she said.

“Yes ma’am,” she said, opening her eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Beca didn’t really know how to answer that one. She had no idea if she was okay or not. 

“I don’t know,” she responded. “Yeah, it felt a bit dramatic but I felt like I was being suffocated all the time.”

“How are you handling everything?” she asked. “The abilities and such.”

“I don’t have the greatest understanding of it all, to be honest,” she admitted. “But I’ve learned a lot this year. I’m doing just fine now that I don’t have to worry about Dad all the time.”

“I know that people with gifts aren’t exactly common,” the Dean said. “But I know that if my student body is an accurate representation of society than there are at least eighty to a hundred students here with abilities like yours. I only know of the ones who declared themselves for academic purposes. But I want to let you know, despite your dad’s beliefs we’re not a narrow-minded institution. I can make recommendations if you need help. You might benefit from one, like the Rosato Institute or somewhere.”

“Uh, I’ve never even heard of any institutes or anything,” Beca said. “And honestly I’m doing okay at the moment. But I’ll remember that if I need it. Thanks.”

“I won’t drag you back in here after the board meets,” she said. “I’ll keep you posted via email if you prefer.”

“I appreciate that, thank you Dean.” She shook the Dean’s hand and went to join Aubrey and Chloe outside. 

“Are you okay?” Aubrey worried immediately. The two seniors got up and the three of them started walking back to where they’d parked so they could go back to the apartment.

“Yeah,” she said. “I am. He’s been suspended until the board can recommend a penalty. But the Dean was going nuts at him saying he’s probably going to find it real hard to get a job anywhere else.”

“When is the board meeting?” Chloe asked her.

“Well being so close to the holidays they won’t be meeting til January 2,” Beca said. “But it’s done now, she’s going to email me the outcome so I don’t have to get dragged back into it.”

“Yeah, your dad looked pretty unhappy,” Aubrey said. 

“I did pretty much just destroy his career,” Beca said. “He tried to get the Dean on his side by alluding to my powers though. Not outright, but I told her about mine in a very vague sense.”

“How much did you tell her?” Aubrey asked. Beca detected the slight change of tone in her voice and she slipped her hand into Aubrey’s.

“I only told her about me,” she assured her. “Because the clause in the student charter is about declaring abilities that might lead to academic advantage. So I told her that mine were physical so that clause didn’t apply.”

“How did she take that?” Chloe asked.

“She’s actually a bit more clued in than I would have expected,” Beca said. They were in the car now. “She said she’s well aware that there could be up to a hundred gifted people on campus at any given point and that she wants to make sure they aren’t discriminated against.” Aubrey was staying silent, so Beca didn’t really continue the conversation any more. Chloe flicked the radio on and Aubrey began smiling as Beca’s voice joined in. That was a sound she could hear every minute of every day for the rest of her life. 

But Beca could sense she was till out of sorts when they got back to the apartment. Chloe obviously could, too. So she didn’t mind when the two of them headed back to Aubrey’s room. Beca wanted to reassure her girlfriend and let her know that she didn’t let anything slide about Aubrey and her powers, or any of the other Bellas.

“Hey,” Beca said to a clearly tense Aubrey. She settled behind where the blonde had perched on the edge of the bed and began massaging her shoulders gently. “I just want you to know that I didn’t say or even allude to anything in the Deans office that would tip her off about you, or Chlo, or any of the others. I would never do that to you. I promise.” Aubrey relaxed a bit.

“Thank you,” she said. “That clause in the student charter presents a real problem for me. Because technically I should have declared my powers when I enrolled at Barden, but I didn’t see the point. I mean, I don’t even use them, don’t even like talking about them. So I kind of never put it on the form, and I never said anything.”

“She said she only knows of a few on campus for sure,” Beca said. “Then she said that she wanted me to know I could go to her if I ever want to find out more about this stuff, that she could recommend me to a place called the Rosato Institute? I think that was it.”

“What?” Aubrey said, face going pale. “She wants to recommend you to the Rosato Institute?”

“I turned her down,” Beca said. “I don’t need that.”

“Beca,” Aubrey said. The smaller girl was shocked to see how greatly that single sentence had affected her girlfriend. “I want you to promise me something. Never ever, ever go anywhere near the Rosato Institute, anyone who works for it, or anyone who recommends them for anything.”

“What’s going on, Bree?” Beca asked. “You’re starting to scare me here.”

“Promise me,” she pleaded.

“I swear, Bree,” Beca promised. “I won’t even say the name ever again.”

“That’s where my parents sent me,” Aubrey said. “It was not a pleasant place.”

“I don’t want to go there,” Beca said. “I’m doing just fine learning things from Stace, and talking them over with you and Chloe. And I really think I’m getting better.”

But Aubrey was still a little shaken. Beca didn’t know how to calm her down, and in the end the blonde ended up murmuring something about taking a shower. Beca went in search of Chloe.

“Chlo,” Beca said, knocking on her doorframe. “I think I fucked up.”

“What do you mean?” Chloe asked. 

“Bree’s freaking,” Beca said. “I mentioned something the Dean said to me about the Rosato Institute and now she’s all out of it.”

“What the hell does the Dean know about the Rosato Institute?” Chloe asked. Her tone had changed too.

“I don’t know,” Beca said. “She said she could recommend for me to spend some time there if I wanted.”

“Beca,” Chloe said. “What happened when you told Bree?”

“She made me swear never to go near anyone or anything to do with them,” Beca said. “Like, serious as anything.”

“It’s not my history to share,” Chloe said. “And she hates to talk about it. But the Rosato Institute is a bad place. Yes, people send their kids there to get them help but that doesn’t make them good guys.”

“What do I do?” Beca asked. “Bree’s gone weird. I don’t want to lose her over this.”

“Just let her take her time,” Chloe said. “Let her talk if she wants to. Let her not talk if she doesn’t want to. Remind her as often as you can that you aren’t going there and that she isn’t either.”

“Okay,” Beca said. “How bad is she gonna get?”

“Don’t be surprised if she starts having a lot of nightmares,” Chloe said sadly. Beca felt like an idiot and she felt like it was her fault. Chloe must have seen the look on her face.

“No, don’t,” Chloe said. “How were you to know that the one place the Dean would recommend would be the one Bree was at? You had no way of knowing.” She knew that Chloe was right, obviously, but she wanted to do something for Aubrey to show her that she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Hey… I know this is a big favour, but can I borrow your car?” she asked the redhead. “I think I have a plan to make Bree feel a little better but a lot of it is on campus.”

“Of course you can,” Chloe said. She tossed her the keys off of her dresser.

“If she asks where I’ve gone, tell her I’m coming back,” Beca said. “And tell her I’ll be back to pick her up really soon. No need to dress up.”

“I will,” Chloe said. “I don’t want her to worry as much as you don’t.” 

Beca quickly stuck a few things in a bag, grabbed a couple of throw rugs from the cupboard and headed out. She did have a plan - but she hoped it would be enough and that it wouldn’t be too cheesy. 

When she returned to pick Aubrey up, the blonde had questions, but Beca promised her that she’d like what she had planned, asking her just to wait a little longer. They made one stop on the way back to campus, Beca ducking out to grab some food for them, but then they headed to the auditorium, walking through a fairly empty campus together. 

Beca had picked a corner of the auditorium where things were normally stored - chairs and old broken music stands - and moved everything out of the way. She’d piled all of the cushions the girls owned into the small area, draped the throws around and made a comfortable little fort for the two of them.

“What’s this?” Aubrey asked, lips curving up in a tiny smile.

“We’re going to hide away in here for a while,” Beca said. “Let’s just forget everything for a minute and eat.” They settled in and shared their food, Beca playing music from her phone. After they were done, they just cuddled into one another for a while. Beca wanted to wait a bit before she said what she had to say.

“I think I might have accidentally really scared you before,” she said. “And I hate that. So I’m sorry, Bree.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Aubrey said. 

“But I know that even hearing about that place again is hard for you,” Beca said. “So I brought you here to explain to you that I’m never leaving you to go there. Because there hasn’t been a single place on earth where I’ve felt as safe and understood as I have in this room, and there hasn’t been a single person who has made me feel so good - so happy and accepted and loved - as you have. So I’m not leaving you, Bree. After all you’ve given me, this group and you yourself, I’d be stupid to need anything else. So I know you might have a bit of a hard time right now after hearing about that place again when you thought it was behind you. And you don’t have to talk to me about it, the details and stuff, but I’m gonna be right with you for the whole thing.” Aubrey smiled and kissed her gently.

“Thank you,” Aubrey said. Beca took a long pause. She was ready for it. 

“I love you,” she said. It was soft, but it was sincere. The small smile on Aubrey’s face blew out into a huge, beaming grin. 

“I love you, too,” she replied. She left a tender kiss on her lips and pulled the smaller girl toward her. They settled in each other’s arms, a tangle amongst the blankets and pillows, ignoring everything outside their little cave for the time being.

They stayed there for the afternoon and headed back before dinner. Chloe was pleased to see them both - noting that Aubrey did at least look a bit more relaxed. They crammed together on the couch and watched a movie, ate pizza and Beca thought she had at least made a little difference to her girlfriend. It was the least she could do after all the times the blonde dealt with her issues. 

They were in bed that night and Beca jolted when she felt Aubrey thrash beside her. The blonde was struggling to get upright and Beca reached out, her hand closing over the blonde’s wrist in the dark. Aubrey whimpered and pulled it away viciously, curling into a tight ball.

“No, please,” she said in a pained voice, and Beca realised that she was having some kind of weird flashback. It was still pitch black, so she leaned over and flicked the lamp on. It seemed to help the blonde realise that she was in her bed and Beca reached out gingerly, placing a hand on her back.

“Bree?” she said. “You’re okay. It’s just me, and we’re here in bed together. You’re safe.” She began to uncurl, and Beca’s hand rubbed her back slowly. Aubrey looked around and began to relax. Beca wrapped her arms around her and Aubrey clung on to her with a ferocity she’d never really shown before.

“You’re okay,” Beca said again. “I promise.” Aubrey nodded into her neck but didn’t let go, so Beca didn’t either. She just let her hang on for as long as she wanted.

“Bad dream?” Beca said. Aubrey just nodded again. “Do you want me to leave the light on while we go back to sleep?” 

“Yes please,” she said in a small voice. They wriggled back down in the bed, Aubrey snuggled in against Beca’s shoulder and Beca’s arm around her. She didn’t know what the dream was about and she kind of didn’t want to, she just wanted Aubrey to feel safe in her arms until morning.

It wasn’t a restful night’s sleep. Aubrey didn’t wake again, but she jerked violently in her sleep a few more times. Each time Beca woke, murmured softly into her girlfriend’s ear and held her until she fell back asleep. She spent most of the night watching Aubrey. By the time morning came, both girls were exhausted.

Chloe looked at them sympathetically and put the coffee on immediately. She didn’t ask any questions or try to start any conversations, she just joined them for a near silent cup of coffee.

“We need to go grocery shopping,” she said eventually. “If you want I can go on my own.”

“No, we’ll come,” Aubrey said tiredly. “I want a shower first. Hopefully it’ll wake me up.” Beca kissed her on the cheek and watched her go down the hallway.

“Rough night, huh?” Chloe said. “How much sleep did you get?”

“A bit,” Beca said. “Not much of it in a big consecutive block. I’ve never seen Bree like this before. She seemed to be okay before we went to bed.”

“Everything gets worse in the dark,” Chloe said. “And she can’t rationalise a thought away while she’s sleeping. It all just… comes out of nowhere.”

“I just kept telling her that she was safe and I was there and we left the light on,” Beca said. “I don’t really know what else to do.”

“There isn’t anything else to do,” Chloe replied. “It might get worse before it gets better, but it’ll fade eventually.”

“It’s been one night and I hate it,” Beca said. “I mean, I love her, and it sucks watching her like this.”

“Hang on,” Chloe said with a smile.

“Yeah,” Beca said quietly. “I told her yesterday. Finally.”

“You’re doing everything you can,” Chloe said. “And she’s going to get quiet and withdrawn, but it won’t be forever. It’s just like… I’m sure you can relate. It takes a lot of effort to stop from losing it. It’s draining.”

“I can definitely relate,” Beca said. “I’ll come out with you guys, I just want to take a shower after Bree if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Chloe said. “Whatever you guys need, Beca. I’m going to go and get changed. Whenever you’re ready.” Beca headed back to Aubrey’s room and pulled out her laptop to check her email. As a pleasant surprise, she had one from the lawyer that was handling her mom’s estate trust for her. The amount of money her mom’s family had left to her was going to be way more than college would cost her so she’d requested a small stipend to get her through some bills and Christmas. The trust had nothing to do with her dad and in the New Year the lawyer wanted to see her to make sure she was being taken care of. 

But the small advance was enough to help her out for the next month, and meant she’d be able to contribute to things like the rent and heating bill and even maybe get small gifts for Chloe and Aubrey. They’d said it wasn’t necessary of course, but that didn’t mean Beca didn’t want to do it. 

The door opened and Aubrey came in, towel wrapped around her body. She blushed a little because Aubrey looked seriously beautiful even with wet hair and not a trace of makeup on, the kind of beautiful that made her want to pin her onto the bed. But in reality she was still too terrified of doing anything of the sort. She hurriedly got her clothes and things together and headed to bathroom herself.

When she came back, Aubrey was fully dressed and waiting for her. She patted the space next to her on the bed.

“I just wanted to say thank you for last night,” Aubrey said. “I know it seems weird that I can’t talk about it, but what you did - just being there, with the light on and reminding me that I was safe - it meant the world to me.”

“Bree, I don’t expect you to talk about it,” Beca said. “There are still parts of my life that I can’t talk about. But I will always, always be there. And I promise I’ll do everything I can to always keep you safe. Because I love you.” She kissed her gently, letting her hand cradle Aubrey’s face.

“I love you too,” Aubrey said, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. They paused there for a moment until they could hear Chloe shuffling around in the kitchen, figuring it was about time they headed out for groceries. 

“How tired are you?” Beca asked.

“Destroyed,” Aubrey admitted. “After we do this shopping I’m hoping I can get a nap in. It’s a little easier to sleep in the day.”

“I have a few things I need to take care of, but if you want me to come home, just text me okay?” Beca said to her. Aubrey nodded, placing a quick peck on her cheek and they went to join Chloe.


	9. Chapter 9

Things took a while to improve for Aubrey. Beca and Chloe did all they could, but once she was asleep they were essentially powerless. The blonde was barely sleeping and Beca was just as bad, since she was constantly trying to placate her girlfriend. Christmas passed them by quietly, but the three of them weren’t particularly worried about that. 

Halfway through January it seemed like Aubrey was finally sleeping for longer stretches, which made Beca feel better. The worst part had been seeing how much this was affecting Aubrey. She began to worry about the Rosato Institute and what kinds of things they were doing to people if they were making her girlfriend react like that. She didn’t want to talk about it with Aubrey - she’d promised she wouldn’t. And she didn’t know who else to turn to except Stacie. She’d asked to meet the other freshman on campus to talk.

“What’s up?” Stacie asked. They were in Stacie’s room.

“I wanted to ask you what you know about the institutions and companies that study people like us, or claim to help people like us,” Beca said. “If you know anything.”

“Anything in particular you’re looking for?” Stacie asked.

“Not really,” Beca said. She hoped Stacie wouldn’t push.

“Well there are definitely some out there that aren’t as benevolent as they claim,” Stacie said. “But some are doing good work.” She shuffled around in her drawer and came out with some leaflets for shiny looking scientific facilities.

“These are good ones?” Beca asked. 

“Yeah,” Stacie said. “The science is sound, the work they’re doing is registered and it’s all very transparent. That’s the key. Once companies start talking about protected methods and making it so nobody knows what they’re doing, that’s when you worry.”

“Many places like that around?” Beca asked. Stacie navigate on her laptop to a website.

“So this site kind of categorises the places in America,” Stacie said. “Green means they’re on the level. Grey means not enough is known about the company to make an informed decision. Yellow means they’re questionable in their practice or methodology. And red would be pretty self explanatory.” Beca scanned the list quickly and noted that the Rosato Institute was highlighted in the yellow category.

“Okay,” Beca said. “In your opinion, these places doing more good or harm?”

“On the whole?” Stacie said. “Harm. Sure there are a minority that are doing good work. But a lot of the focus is on repressing, containing that sort of stuff. I personally think there’d be more benefit in control, understanding, harnessing, you know?” 

“Yeah,” Beca said. 

“Are you sure there’s nothing going on?” Stacie asked. Beca realised that Stacie’s hand was on her knee. “Your heart’s racing kinda hard for this to be nothing.” She let out a heavy sigh.

“Swear you won’t say anything to anyone?” Beca said. Stacie promised. “Bree’s been having nightmares about the place she went to. She can’t talk about it and I don’t want her to. But I want to know what kinds of places are out there, Stace. The dean, when I went to deal with all that stuff with my dad, she mentioned the same place and I casually mentioned it to Bree which started the whole thing off.”

“Which place?” Stacie asked.

“Rosato,” Beca said. “Please don’t tell her or Chloe I’ve been looking into it.”

“I won’t,” Stacie promised. “The Rosato Institute is one that’s hit and miss. They boast about really good success rates, and their wide range of therapies, but they are extremely secretive about their methods - what their therapies actually entail, what quantifies a success and what they do with the data they collect.”

“Bree and Chlo both freaked hard,” Beca said. “And Bree had nightmares for over three weeks straight.”

“So I’d imagine they’re doing some shady shit,” Stacie said. “Unfortunately they’re privately funded so nobody can really get into their books unless there’s a federal violation. Do you want me to poke around online and see what people are saying?”

“No,” Beca said. “I’ll just worry more. But thanks. Out of curiosity, who would you rank top and bottom in terms of who would be helpful to people like us?”

“Top would be the Garner Facility,” Stacie said. “Government place, United Nations backed, lots of communication about what they’re doing, why, all that stuff. They’re in Wyoming and they’re building a sister site in Louisiana due end of this year. They share data and stuff with Sweden, England, China, just about anyone with their hat in the ring is welcome to it. Bottom… probably EvoGenesis. They won’t tell anyone what they’re doing and anyone who has tried to speak against them mysteriously changes their mind or disappears. You can barely Google them without red flags going off. They’re probably testing human limits, trying to replicate powers, that sort of shit.”

“That’s terrifying,” Beca said. “That’s the stuff I worry about. Because I could level a building and that would be a desirable skill in some people’s world.”

“Not ours,” Stacie said. “Not yours. So I won’t say anything to anyone and I won’t go poking around. But if I hear anything interesting I’ll let you know?”

“Thanks Stacie,” Beca said. “You’re being pretty rad with all of this. I haven’t felt like an idiot even once.”

“You’re not an idiot,” Stacie said. “You were uninformed, through no fault of your own. Now, do you want to grab burgers or what?” Beca grinned. 

She felt a bit better after leaving Stacie. She always did, really. She still was a little scared about the people out there who might want to study her or Aubrey, but she was also going to look into them a bit more. Not the bad places, but the good ones. See what kinds of information they could provide. 

Aubrey was glad to see her when she got home. She still bore faint circles under her eyes from the weeks of interrupted sleep, but to Beca she was still ridiculously beautiful.

“Hey,” she said, dropping into the couch and kissing Aubrey. “You and Chloe have fun this evening?”

“We did,” Aubrey said. “Our nails are freshly painted and we ate sushi.” Beca’s nose wrinkled. She didn’t get the fascination with sushi and for this reason Chloe and Aubrey kept it as their thing - often when Beca was out talking with Stacie, the two seniors were eating sushi somewhere.

“And how’s Stacie?” Aubrey asked.

“Good,” Beca said. “She’s so smart with all this shit, Bree. I really lucked out that she’s so willing to share what she knows.”

“Her dad is a scientist,” Aubrey explained. “Not the same kinds of things, obviously, but it explains her interest in hard data and observable study. Plus she’s a natural teacher.”

“She wants to be a teacher?” Beca asked.

“No, I don’t think she does,” Aubrey said. “She’s definitely leaning toward a science based career, but she’s good at the teaching stuff. Interpersonally, anyway.”

“You know, I’ve never heard you say anything bad about anyone ever?” Beca realised. “I mean, I’m not saying I expected you to be a massive bitch or anything, but you literally only ever say nice things about people. It’s very sweet. You’re a really good person, Bree.”

Aubrey smiled a little and leaned toward her girlfriend. She kissed her lightly, fingers tangling in the cord hanging from the neck of her hoodie. 

“I love you,” Aubrey said. 

“I love you too,” Beca said. “Where’s Chlo now?”

“Chloe has a Human Behaviour paper due soon,” Aubrey said. “She’s studying at one of her classmates dorms, she’ll be back pretty late if at all.”

“So if I suggest pajamas and curling up in bed with Netflix?” Beca asked. Aubrey snagged her in another quick kiss.

“I’d say yes please, and I’ll make popcorn,” she said. They did what they had to do and then settled in Aubrey’s bed together. They’d been watching The Good Place, which Beca thought was quite funny but they also both appreciated the morality in the show since it was a subject that was fairly close to home. They only managed a couple of episodes before Aubrey began yawning.

“You tired babe?” Beca asked. Aubrey nodded.

“Now that I’m sleeping better, I find myself needing to catch up on all the sleep I missed,” Aubrey mumbled. Beca closed up her laptop and turned the lights out. She felt Aubrey reach out toward her, their fingers interlacing in the dark.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Bree,” Beca said. “I hated not being able to help you.”

“You did help,” Aubrey said. “I woke up and every single time you were there. Just waiting to console me. Meant the world to me, even if it felt like nothing to you.” Beca smiled to herself and shuffled her body closer to Aubrey’s. The blonde wrapped a tired arm around her and pulled her close and the two of them didn’t need to say anything else.

Beca didn’t think anything more of the Rosato Institute after that. She was sure Aubrey would be okay, she was sleeping properly now and she was back to her normal self. She didn’t see any need to go digging around in stuff that would just upset her all over again.

She was sitting in an Intro Econ class one afternoon a couple of weeks later next to Jessica when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She was smart enough to have put it on silent but she tugged it out and checked what was happening. It was Stacie.

[Are you in class? I have some potentially bad news for you. Aubrey actually.] 

Beca worried immediately. Stacie wasn’t just going to text her out of the blue if it was nothing to worry about. So when the taller girl said ‘potentially’ Beca didn’t quite believe her. It was probably something bad. She tapped back a quick text to meet her at the Bellas hall. Then she tapped Jessica on the shoulder and said she had to leave but wanted to grab notes from her later. The blonde nodded and Beca packed up and left as discreetly as possible. 

She hurried across campus to the auditorium where the Bellas still met from time to time, though their social activities were branching out everywhere. Stacie was sitting in the second row from the back with her laptop open.

“Hey,” Beca said. “What’s going on Stace?”

“Well there were some rumours going around about some big merger between a couple of the labs or whatever,” Stacie said. “I didn’t pay much attention to it because these rumours pop up from time to time. But turns out I was mega wrong and I should have been paying attention. And the news probably couldn’t be worse for someone like Aubrey.”

“What do you mean?” Beca asked. Stacie angled the laptop toward her. 

“Remember when I told you EvoGenesis was probably the most evil of all the lab companies out there?” she said. “They just fucking bought out the Rosato Institute. So that means everything Rosato has… all the data on all of the patients they ever had… it all now belongs to the shadiest motherfuckers in the power-testing game.” Beca’s heart thudded erratically in her chest. It was like the floor had shifted dramatically. But Stacie wasn’t an idiot, she’d closed a hand around Beca’s wrist and brought it back to level.

“You right there?” Stacie asked. “You were getting a little worked up.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Beca said softly. “Can I ask you to be brutally honest with me?”

“Sure,” Stacie said.

“What would you be most worried about right now if you were Aubrey and heard this news?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure I already know what you’re going to say.”

“With EvoGenesis in the mix?” Stacie said. “Shit, Beca. I’d be terrified out of my mind. Because Rosato just turned all his work over to them so now they know exactly who she is, where she’s from, and what she’s capable of. I’d be worried they were going to fucking black bag me in the middle of the night and nobody would ever see me again, that I’d just end up being a rat in a wheel to those guys.” Beca bit her lip hard and tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.

“I gotta go,” she said. “Bree’s at home. I don’t know what she knows, or what she’s going to do about it, but I need to be there.”

“Of course, that’s why I wanted to tell you straight away,” Stacie said. “Go find her.”

“I will, thanks,” Beca said. “I’ll catch up with you soon.” She hurried out of the room. Stacie watched her go, knowing full well that it might very well be the last time she saw Beca or Aubrey for a long time.

Beca made her way back to the apartment as quickly as she could, needing to find Aubrey. She burst through the door and the first person she saw was Chloe.

“Where’s Bree?” she asked in a panicked voice.

“Talking to her dad on the phone, why?” Chloe said. Beca paused to calm herself down before she spoke.

“Because Stacie just pulled me out of class to let me know that the Rosato Institute where Aubrey was just got bought out by EvoGenesis,” Beca said. “Who Stacie pretty much described as pure evil. They’re gonna know all about Bree, and the fact that she can manipulate people using only her brain. And they’re for sure going to come for her.” 

Chloe paled and got up off the couch. Before they could reach Aubrey’s bedroom, the blonde was dashing across the hall into the bathroom and throwing up violently.

“Is there a possibility her dad called to warn her?” Beca asked.

“Bree did say it was unusual for him to call,” Chloe said. Beca followed her in, rubbed her back a little and held her hair out of her face while she vomited. They waited for a while until she was done, and again while she rinsed out her mouth and brushed her teeth.

“Um…” Aubrey said. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Stacie sent me to find you,” Beca said. “She said the Rosato Institute just folded and gave up all their data to EvoGenesis, who are like seriously evil dudes.”

“So maybe I don’t need to know where to begin,” Aubrey said.

“How much danger are you in?” Beca asked. Chloe began to feel the smaller girl’s energy shift a little. 

“They’ve already been to my parents’ house looking for me,” Aubrey said. “He called as a warning. They want to take me in, for my protection and for the protection of the greater population or something. He told them to go to hell and wouldn’t give me up. But it won’t take much to track me down. So I have to disappear right now. I’m leaving.”

“You can’t,” Beca said. She began feeling sick and tight in the chest. She felt a jolt in her body and the pressure began to consume her. “You can’t just leave me now. I can’t do this without you.”

“Well I can’t stay here,” Aubrey said. “God knows what EvoGenesis want with me Beca. I know it’s not going to be good.” Beca’s energy shifted again and it was so noticeable to Chloe that she shoved Beca into the tiny shower cubicle and turned the cold water on full ball. The smaller girl didn’t fight it, just curled onto the floor of the stall and waited it out.

“Don’t move,” Chloe said to Aubrey, pointing at her to sit on the toilet. Beca was okay in about five minutes, soaked through and shivering, but calmer. Chloe wrapped a towel around her and dried her as best she could.

“That was surprisingly effective,” Beca mumbled.

“You’re both being a bit irrational about this thing,” Chloe said. “Granted, it’s the kind of thing you’d be forgiven for being irrational about. First things first. Aubrey, you need to go. You’re right.”

“I said NO!” Beca said, slamming her hand onto the towel rail. It snapped clean off of the wall, taking most of the tiles and a chunk of plasterboard with it. “Shit I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.”

“Okay Beca, calm down,” Chloe said. “Because my second point is that you’re going to have to go with her.”

“What!?” Aubrey said. “I’m not subjecting Beca to a life on the run like that. This has nothing to do with her.”

“I’m pretty sure it has everything to do with her,” Chloe said. “She just demolished a wall in our bathroom because I said you had to go. How do you think she’s going to react if some goon from EvoGenesis starts interviewing Bellas, then snatches her up and tries to get information about you, threatens your safety?”

“I can tell you right now, I’d take out whatever building he was in,” Beca said. “I know it. If anyone threatened to hurt you Bree, there’s no telling what I’d do.”

“So you both have to go,” Chloe said. “The rest of us can pretend we’re still an acapella group, we’ll be fine. But they already know about you, Bree, and as a result Beca’s going to be in the firing line. You both need to go, and now.”

“What about your dad though?” Aubrey asked Beca.

“He hasn’t even spoken a single word to me since the Dean’s office,” Beca said. “I honestly don’t care.”

“Right,” Aubrey said, as the pieces slid into place in her mind. “I’m going to grab some stuff.”

“I’ll get Beca into some dry clothes,” Chloe said dragging the girl into Aubrey and Beca’s bedroom with her and waiting as she changed. Then she tugged Beca back out into the hall. 

“You’ve still got your inheritance right?” Chloe asked.

“Some of it, yeah,” Beca said. “Whatever has been unlocked, anyway.”

“You’re going to have to go straight from here, so get whatever few things you absolutely need, go get all the money the both of you can without causing suspicion and take off,” Chloe said. “Don’t call, don’t email, don’t try and contact us. I’ll say that you two found the truth about each other and after all the stuff with your dad, you and Bree ran away to be with each other. She can leave a note or something to throw the trail off.”

“Okay,” Beca said. “I don’t know how - Where do we even go?”

“Just go as far as you can,” Chloe said. “Don’t worry about us. Bree’s in danger.” Beca nodded and threw her arms around the redhead for a second.

“Thanks,” she said. She joined Aubrey in packing the important things - clothes, a couple of pictures of her mom, nothing major. Then she opened her laptop. 

“A computer, Beca?” Aubrey asked.

“I’m erasing the hard drive,” Beca said. “Thanks to the time I spent with Stacie I have a lot of stuff on here those people probably shouldn’t see. I’d hate for her to get mixed up in it.” She unplugged her portable drive filled with music first and gave it to Chloe. She couldn’t bear to erase that one. They filled a couple of bags and headed downstairs to the car. Aubrey and Chloe hugged hard, then Beca asked Chloe to thank Stacie for her. They both pulled their cells out of their pockets and Chloe said she’d get rid of them. 

“Be safe,” Chloe said. “Don’t fly, they ask for names and we don’t know how far EvoGenesis can look into stuff like that. Get rid of your car as soon as you can and get a new one. Craigslist it or whatever.”

“Thanks Chlo,” Beca said, kissing her on the cheek. They got into Aubrey’s car and headed into town to the bank. Beca was able to close her account and withdraw everything from it, which was helpful. Aubrey’s accounts were a little stricter since they were technically being held open by her father, but after some phone calls, he basically let her walk out with a substantial amount of money. 

“I don’t like carrying this much money around,” Aubrey said, sliding the bag into the back seat. “Maybe we should get a couple of those prepaid cards?” Beca thought that was a pretty good idea and to stop drawing suspicion they went to a few different stores and put smaller amounts on them, but saved some in cash. The cash was bagged, stuffed inside a tote and sat under the rest of their stuff in the back seat.

“Okay,” Aubrey breathed. “Let’s just drive. I’ll drive til I can’t, then you take over. We need to get as much distance between us and Barden as we can.”

“Stop at the next semi major city and we’ll get a different car,” Beca said. “But definitely.” Aubrey navigated onto the road out of town.

“Bree?” Beca said after a few minutes.

“Yeah?” Aubrey said.

“I’m really fucking scared right now,” she admitted. “The only thing that’s stopping me from losing it completely is that you’re sitting next to me.”

“I’m scared too,” Aubrey said. She grasped Beca’s hand briefly, before returning it to the steering wheel. They both fell silent as they hit the open highway.


	10. Chapter 10

They managed to make it all the way to Illinois before they had to stop. Aubrey had taken the first stretch of driving, and they pulled over in Huntsville, Alabama to take care of the car. It was late but they still managed to find a late model Ford Taurus for sale out the front of someone’s house. The man had been surprised at his late night sale but was eager to turn it over. Beca and Aubrey took the registration paperwork with them, promising to file it the very next day - a lie they both felt bad for but it was kind of vital that they stay untraceable. 

The next part was harder - getting rid of Aubrey’s car. Beca suggested just driving it into the city and leaving it with the keys in and door unlocked. But Aubrey wanted it gone. So they came up with a plan - a plan Aubrey hated, but at the very least Beca could defend herself. They did drive into the city in separate cars and then Beca simply approached a group of young guys who were smoking and drinking on a streetcorner, looking like trouble in general. They’d watched for a few minutes beforehand and Beca swore she saw the flash of a gun on at least one, but she wasn’t perturbed. As long as she saw what was coming she’d be fine. Aubrey had switched all their stuff into the new car and was praying this didn’t go south.

“Hey,” Beca said as she slowly made her way toward them.

“And what do you want?” one asked with a laugh.

“I need to make a car disappear,” she said.

“What makes you think we know anything about that?” he replied. Clearly he was in charge of whoever this group was.

“I got five grand for whoever takes it and makes sure it’s never seen again,” she said. 

“Is this us cleaning up after you murdered your frat boy boyfriend?” he asked. 

“Nope,” she said. “Let’s just say I don’t wanna be found right now. People are looking for me, not because I’m in trouble, I want to stay invisible.”

“And you want to pay us five grand?” he said.

“I need it gone bad,” she said. “Look if you can’t help me, I’ll find someone else who wants this five grand. But the car runs fine, strip it, chop it, crush it, whatever, I just need it off the street.”

“Are you messing with us?” he asked. "That won't end pretty for you."

“I just want to get out of here,” she said. “Come with me.” They all moved at once to come along.

“Okay,” he said.

“No, just one,” she said. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a five foot tall girl.” He waved them off and followed her across the street to where Aubrey was sitting in the passenger seat of the parked Taurus. She handed him the keys and pointed to the wad of cash on the drivers seat of the old car.

“What’s your deal little girl?” he said. “This is crazy.”

“The deal is you take the five grand and get rid of this car,” she said. “But you never saw me, or the car, or the blonde. We’re gone as soon as I get in that car. Deal?”

“Someone bad looking for you?” he asked.

“Let’s just say we’re running away to get married,” Beca said. “I don’t care what you want to believe. But tell me we have a deal.”

“Deal,” he said. Beca got in the car with Aubrey and they drove out of town in a hurry. After a brief detour past a diner for coffee and food, Beca headed toward Illinois, following no real plan, just guessing how far she could go before they needed to stop for gas. 

They were outside Harrisburg when Beca had to stop. Aubrey had been dozing next to her in the front seat. She spotted a motel sign up ahead and changed lanes, ready to pull over and get some rest. 

“Bree,” she said, unbuckling her belt and shaking her. “Wake up.”

“Yeah?” she asked.

“I pulled over, I need to rest,” Beca said. “We’re almost in Harrisburg.” Aubrey rubbed her face and checked the time.

“We’ve been on the road almost nine hours,” she said. “Let’s get some sleep and start again tomorrow.” They got out and headed to the little office. A tired looking middle aged man slid them a key and said checkout was noon. They paid cash and pulled their car around so it couldn’t be seen from the road. 

It wasn’t much, at all. The sheets were starchy and the carpet was slightly musty but the bathroom looked clean and the starchy linen was also clean, and that was all that mattered. Beca made sure she tugged the bags with their valuables inside, wedging a chair under the door handle and double checking the lock. Aubrey was already climbing into bed.

“You don’t want a shower?” Beca asked.

“I’ll shower in the morning,” Aubrey replied. Beca nodded and headed into the bathroom. Aubrey tried to stay awake until she got out but it was useless.

The next morning Beca was still exhausted so after Aubrey showered she took the wheel again. They stopped for food first, since they had no idea how long it would be before they could stop again. 

“Should we make some kind of plan?” Aubrey asked.

“Um… maybe,” Beca said. “I guess we can’t just drive around forever. So where do you think we should go?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Aubrey said. She looked at the window. There was nowhere safe now. Beca stirred a sachet of sugar into her coffee.

“Hey maybe we should go to Wyoming,” Beca said. 

“What’s in Wyoming?” Aubrey replied.

“The Garner Facility,” Beca replied. “It’s a good place, according to Stacie. She said if she had to pick the best place for people like us to deal with, it would be them. Maybe if we go there, explain what’s happening? I think she said it’s in Rock Springs or something?” Aubrey didn’t know how she felt about another facility. But Beca was right they couldn’t just drive around for the rest of their lives.

“I think it’s the only plan we have, so I’m in,” she said. There was a gas station further on so they stopped for a map and gas, Beca adding a whole bunch of snacks and drinks so they wouldn’t have to stop as often. Aubrey planned a course and they set out.

Beca soon fell asleep in the passenger seat, so Aubrey drove in silence. She couldn’t help but think that this should be a fun thing. A road trip across country with her girlfriend should be a magical experience, except they were both terrified and miserable. Instead of plotting sightseeing stops and pausing for sunrises and sunsets they would be avoiding major cities and keeping an eye out for seedy motels that would take cash and not ask their names.

She didn’t want to wake Beca, but she pulled over to the side of the road and spent a few minutes crying quietly into her hands. She hated that this was her life, let alone that she’d dragged Beca into it with her. But she let it overtake her for a few minutes and then got herself together. They had a long way to drive, at least two full days. She could fall apart later.

They drove all day again, Beca taking the afternoon shift, and sleeping in another two star motel with the chair wedged under the door. Beca was getting more exhausted by the hour, Aubrey thought. She wondered if they needed to be concerned about Beca’s stability as they travelled. They made it into Wyoming before they stopped again, Aubrey checking them in while Beca grabbed them some sodas from an ancient machine at a motel somewhere just across the border. 

“At least we’ll make it to Garner tomorrow,” Beca said after they’d eaten some of the snacks from their stash. “We’ll be safe, hopefully.” She looked beyond tired. 

“Yeah,” Aubrey said. “Are you going to shower?” It seemed to be a routine. They’d check in, eat, Beca would shower and Aubrey was normally asleep by the time she was done.

“Yeah,” she said. She got up and kissed Aubrey first. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” she said.

Aubrey woke in the middle of the night and could tell Beca wasn’t in bed next to her. She looked around for a second until she saw the younger girl sitting by the window in the dark, looking out a small crack in their curtains.

“Beca?” she said. “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” Beca said. “You know… keeping watch while you get some rest.” Aubrey sat there for a second and then turned her lamp on. Beca’s extreme fatigue made sense now.

“Are you telling me you’ve done this every night since we left?” Aubrey said.

“Um… yes?” Beca said. “I shower, and you’re normally asleep so I sit up and keep watch til it starts to get light. Then I crash out for a couple of hours and we wake up and keep going.” Aubrey loved this girl so much it was crazy.

“You don’t have to do that,” Aubrey said, getting up and tugging her back over to the bed. “I feel perfectly safe with you. And I want you to get some rest.”

“But we don’t know who’s coming for us, and when they’re coming, and what they’re going to do,” Beca said. “If I keep a look out, it’ll help.” Aubrey kissed her hard.

“Come to bed,” she said. “You’re exhausted and I won’t have you ruining yourself for my sake. Please.” Beca followed her over to the bed and climbed on to the lumpy mattress with her. 

“Are you sure?” she mumbled sleepily.

“Yes, you idiot, now go to sleep,” Aubrey said. “I love you.” Beca murmured unintelligibly, succumbing to sleep in mere seconds. Aubrey couldn’t believe she’d been sitting watch all night while she slept. She watched her girlfriend for a few moments and then flicked her light back off, cuddling into her body and going back to sleep.

Aubrey woke with a start sometime after six. She’d been having a really vivid dream about the Rosato Institute though it wasn’t a nightmare. It was something else, she was remembering the people she’d been with. One in particular and as she woke up she’d realised he might change everything. She looked down. Beca was still out like a light. It made her smile, looking at her and thinking how unbelievably selfless and sweet she was. Careful not to wake her, she slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. The fact that she was still asleep when Aubrey got out wasn’t a surprise either. She’d been sleeping only a couple of hours a night.

She left a note to tell Beca she was just going to get a decent breakfast for the two of them and quickly headed out. She returned with coffee and pancakes in a Styrofoam container, finding Beca had in fact awoken by this point. 

“Hey,” Aubrey said. “How’d you sleep?” She set the food down onto the little table and Beca got up.

“Really well,” Beca said. “You seem pretty peppy for this early in the morning.”

“I had a thought,” Aubrey said. “Well it was actually a dream.”

“Are you okay?” Beca asked, worrying immediately.

“Yeah, fine,” Aubrey said. She held out a coffee to Beca. “But it reminded me that I know someone who can help. And I know we were planning on driving to Wyoming, but instead we need to go to Colorado.”

“What’s in Colorado?” Beca asked.

“Not what,” Aubrey said. “Who. His name is Jean-Pierre. JP. We were at the Rosato Institute together, he was older than me and he looked out for me, you know? Then like, freshman year he shows up in Barden and said that if things ever went to shit I should find him and he’d keep me safe.”

“Can he though?” Beca asked. “Keep us safe?”

“JP has the perfect gift to help us,” she said. “Cloaking.”

“Like… invisibility?” Beca asked, her jaw dropping. 

“Yeah a bit,” Aubrey said. “And he can project it a really long way, like, big enough to cover a safe place. He told me he has a place in the mountains.” Beca sat for a while. She had been kind of set on going to Garner. But that might have been just where she’d fixated so she wasn’t feeling aimless. Aubrey seemed pretty excited about going to Colorado to find JP. And more than anything she just wanted Aubrey to be safe and happy.

“Do you know how to find him?” Beca asked.

“Just have to get to the Black Hawk Station Casino lobby at one pm and he said he’d find me,” Aubrey said. “Not just me. The rest of us who were there. He always talked like this day was coming. I used to call him a fatalist.” 

“Okay,” Beca said. “We’ll go to Black Hawk.” They finished up their breakfast and began getting their stuff together, talking while they did.

“You seem better with some sleep under your belt,” Aubrey said. “I can’t believe you were staying awake to protect me while I slept.”

“I love you Aubrey,” Beca said. “Of course I’d stay awake to protect you. I mean, there’s pretty much nothing that I wouldn’t do for you. To keep you safe.”

“It’s insane,” Aubrey said. “We’re literally on the run here. We have no safety net, nothing but each other and yes, there’s a pretty consistent undercurrent of fear running through me. But on the whole, I still feel safer here with you than I have ever felt anywhere in my life. And you’ve left your entire life behind because of me.”

“What life?” Beca said. “Before I met you, I was too afraid to even talk to people. I was always so worried about hurting people or them misunderstanding me. I’ve been so afraid for so long. That wasn’t a life. But I’m alive because of you. I have the girls, who accept me and don’t judge me and aren’t afraid. And then there’s you. And you’re the only person in my life who has truly loved me, Aubrey.” Aubrey’s eyes were glassing over and she strode across the room to kiss her. 

“I love you, Beca Mitchell.” She felt Beca’s arms slide around her and the smaller girl rejoined their lips again. 

“I love you, too,” she said. She let the next kiss linger, hands skimming down her back. Aubrey pressed their bodies flush on the next one, and she felt Beca’s tongue in her mouth. This was getting more heated than she intended, but she definitely wasn’t going to complain. 

Beca’s hands were under her shirt, just caressing her lower back. Aubrey let a hand snake upward into Beca’s shirt, the younger girl braless at the moment and let her hand enclose a breast. That was enough for Beca to push her toward the bed, the next kisses growing hotter and needier. They were engrossed in one another, in touching soft skin and in kissing each other. Aubrey only came to her senses when she felt Beca’s hand sliding into her pants.

“Bec, are you sure this is what you want?” Aubrey asked. Beca pulled back and looked at her. She really hoped it was what Beca wanted because her body was on fire.

“Yeah,” Beca said. “It is.” Aubrey immediately left a searing kiss on her lips, pulling her back down.

It was everything Aubrey wanted it to be. Beca was heavily invested in making sure Aubrey was satisfied. She was gentle and thorough and the entire time kept telling Aubrey that she loved her. It didn’t matter to either of them that they were in a crappy motel somewhere near Cheyenne, because they were together. Even as Aubrey returned the favour, it was perfect. Beca had started to panic as she approached her peak, but Aubrey simply kissed her, forced her to look into her eyes and reminded her that they were together and she didn’t have to worry with her. Beca stopped worrying and let it overtake her. 

“You’re a cuddler,” Aubrey observed, Beca wrapping herself around Aubrey’s body. 

“Nah, I just really love you,” Beca said. “But as much as I hate to interrupt the moment, we can’t really hang around.”

“It’s only a couple of hours to Black Hawk, but yeah, you’re right,” Aubrey sighed. “Let’s get ready to go.” Beca first left a long, sweet kiss on her lips.

“You’re incredible, by the way,” she said. They got up and redressed, making sure everything was in the car. They double checked the map and planned their course, both of them eager to get to some place safe. 

It wasn’t even midday when they arrived. Beca didn’t know what she was expecting when they got to Black Hawk, but it was a tiny old school looking place packed with casinos. Aubrey saw the one they were looking for up ahead and suggested they find something to eat. 

Beca began getting nervous as one o’clock approached. Not in the sense that she felt like she was going to blow something apart or hurt someone, more a general unease.

“So how well do you know this JP again?” she asked. They were sitting in the lobby waiting.

“I trust him,” Aubrey said. “He stopped them going too far in my treatment more than once. He’d cloak himself and then attack them, spring me free. They were merciless with him when they caught him, but he’d do it again and again. He always felt they were too rough on me.”

“If you trust him, then so do I,” Beca said. She couldn’t dislodge the feeling though. It gnawed at her insides. But she trusted Aubrey so she was committed. They watched the clock in the lobby tick over to one o’clock. Aubrey sat up a little straighter and watched. Beca watched her instead, since she had no idea what she was looking for. She saw Aubrey’s face break out in a smile.

“Aubrey,” said a man, approaching them. “And friend.” He had longish hair and clear blue eyes, a more steely color than Chloe’s. 

“JP,” she said. She stood up and hugged him.

“I knew I’d be seeing you soon,” he said. “Rosato sent us all to shit, huh. You guys get here okay? Were you followed?”

“No we drove, no ID, no cells, trashed the car bought one cash in Alabama,” Aubrey said. 

“And who’s your friend?” he asked.

“Oh, JP, this is Beca,” she said. “She’s one of us. She needs you as much as I do.” 

“Nice to meet you, Beca,” he said. 

“Likewise,” she said. “Bree tells me you’re the only person who can keep us safe.”

“Do you have any other bags?” he asked them. 

“No, this is everything,” Aubrey said. He asked them to follow him and they grabbed their stuff, following him down a hallway and up some stairs. He found a room marked “Maintenance” and opened it. It wasn’t a maintenance area at all, it was just an empty room. 

“Grab hold of everything,” he said. “If you drop it, it gets left behind.”

“Left behind where?” Beca asked. She felt JP taking her by the wrist, and saw he was doing the same to Aubrey.

“Deep breath, girls, apparently it can be pretty jarring the first time it happens,” he said casually. Beca was about to ask what he was talking about when she realised they weren’t even in the hotel room any more. They were outside. It was cold. Windy. Beca felt her stomach lurch and she double over, sucking in a deep breath.

“You okay?” Aubrey asked, immediately rushing to her. Beca nodded and stood up. She was still mentally processing what was happening. They were in the casino. Now they were… in the mountains?

“What the fuck is happening?” Beca asked. JP shot her a smile and a wink.

“Just up here,” he said. Aubrey fell in step beside her girlfriend.

“JP can teleport,” she explained. “There are conditions and limitations.”

“But it also means that I’ve been able to keep this place to myself,” he said, pointing. It looked like some kind of lodge. “You can’t drive here. You can only get here if I bring you. Every day at one o’clock, I walk through the lobby of the casino just in case there’s somebody there who needs help.”

“What is this place?” Beca asked. It was bigger than she’d first thought. JP led them up the steps and opened the door.

“Ladies, welcome to The Haven.”


	11. Chapter 11

“What is this place?” Beca asked.

“It’s just a safe place,” JP said. “Somewhere we can be just a little bit further out of reach. Everyone here is the same as us, gifted people who are afraid of what groups like EvoGenesis want.” He led them upstairs and they nodded hello to a few people as they passed. At the end of the hall JP opened a door and ushered them into a room.

“We’re running low on rooms at the moment, so I hope you don’t mind sharing,” he said. “Had quite a few people show up yesterday, the day before.”

“No it’s not a problem at all,” Aubrey said.

“So what’s your deal, Beca?” JP asked. “If you’ve come here with Aubrey it must be big.” Aubrey shot a look at Beca to reassure her that it was okay not to answer.

“It’s uh… complicated,” she said. He let his gaze settle on Beca for a few moments.

“It always is,” he said. “I’ll let you two get some rest. Closest bathroom to you is down the hall a couple of doors, towels in the big wicker thing right outside. Dinner’s at seven, you don’t have to sit down with the group if you don’t want, but at some point you’ll be asked to chip in with cooking and cleaning. We can play introductions later.” He swept out and closed the door behind himself.

“So that’s JP,” Beca said appraisingly.

“Yep,” Aubrey said. 

“He’s a weird dude,” Beca said. But she didn’t dwell on it, because the bed in front of them looked soft and inviting and they were exhausted.

“We can nap, right?” Beca said. She immediately kicked her shoes off, Aubrey doing the exact same thing right beside her. They both tugged their jeans down as well, and climbed into the bed. Beca’s head hit the pillow and she felt Aubrey’s arm slide over her waist and nothing more as they fell asleep.

They slept for a solid few hours, Beca only waking when her stomach began a low growl. She sat up and stretched, looking down at the sleeping girl beside her. She loved Aubrey with everything she had. The blanket they’d been sleeping under had been unceremoniously been shoved down and Aubrey’s t-shirt was riding up a little, so Beca could see the smooth skin of her abdomen. The older woman looked peaceful. After so many nights that had been nothing but peaceful, it made Beca smile. She decided to ignore her stomach’s ravenous protests for the moment and spooned Aubrey, her fingertips grazing along the skin exposed by her shirt. 

“Mmm,” Aubrey hummed. “I always like how that feels.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Beca said quietly. She checked her watch. “It’s almost six.”

“I could use a shower,” Aubrey said. “You?”

“You go first,” Beca said. “I don’t mind.” Aubrey smiled at her sleepily and pulled her in for a kiss. 

“I love you, you know that, right?” she said against her mouth.

“I love you, too,” Beca said. Aubrey got up and stretched her body, before assembling some things for the bathroom. As she got to the bedroom door she stopped and turned around.

“I’m so glad we can finally feel safe again,” she said. 

“Me too,” Beca said. Aubrey left and Beca fell back against the pillow. She mostly felt safe but something still felt off. And she couldn’t really admit to being fond of that JP dude, even through their very limited interactions thus far. She couldn’t narrow it down though, so she pushed it aside and got up. She got her own shower things together and then looked around a little in the room. 

She pulled the drapes and looked outside. She might feel uneasy but this hideaway had a great view. Scores of mountain as far as she could see. It was cold though, snowy. She wondered if there was a way they could get some better winter gear, there’d be no way they’d be warm if they went outside in what they had.

She opened the drawers of the nightstand and found them empty. She found a change of sheets and an extra blanket in the little walk in robe, but everything else was bare. She waited until Aubrey was done in the bathroom and tag-teamed with her, taking a quick shower and changing into something warm. Aubrey was waiting in the room and it was almost time for dinner so they headed downstairs. 

There were a couple of long tables set up with chairs. Evidently The Haven was housing around twenty people right now, and that meant things were a little cramped. It wasn’t a bother though, a couple of the others had rustled up a good sized feed for the lot of them, roast beef and potatoes, vegetables. Something nice and hearty that Beca and Aubrey were more than welcome to see. 

“So how does this all work?” Aubrey asked JP. Some of the others had branched off, some were taking care of the dishes, but a handful remained.

“Well, we all help out,” JP said. “We’ll see about getting you girls on the schedule to help with cooking and cleaning.” 

“But how do you afford it all?” Aubrey asked.

“Most people have offered us what they have,” JP says. “I might occasionally liberate a few things from town.” That didn’t settle well with Beca. She thought, not for the first time, that JP seemed sketchy.

“We can help,” Aubrey said. “Financially.” 

“We have some rules, obviously,” JP said. “Don’t go into someone else’s room unless invited. No use of power to intimidate or assault others. No wandering off into the woods. We’ve got a couple trails marked out with very obvious blue signs if you want to walk, but if you wander away there’s no saying what could happen.”

“We aren’t a threat with that,” Beca said. “We came from Georgia, our clothes don’t really translate well to Colorado mountain weather.”

“If there’s something you need, see me or Bianca. She’s the one with the shaved head,” JP said. “And you can only ask me to take you back to town for two reasons.”

“What are they?”

“One is to see a doctor,” JP said. “The other is to leave. But let me make it clear, if you leave The Haven, you can’t come back again. It’s not a holiday destination, it’s a safe place. Popping in and out does nobody any favours.”

“So you’re the only one who can leave?” Beca said. For some reason it set another red flag off for her.

“I only leave because I can stay cloaked,” he said. “But tell us about yourselves. We’re all family here, all running for the same reason. No need to keep a secret.” The others looked at them interestedly.

“Um…” Aubrey said. Beca didn’t like where this was headed. “I’m Aubrey, this is Beca. We drove all the way from Georgia. I was at the Rosato Institute with JP, so when news came that EvoGenesis had bought them out, I had to run. I can manipulate the actions of others using only my mind so yeah, that’s not something I need them knowing.”

“Beca?” JP asked. She could feel his eyes boring into her.

“Unfortunately I haven’t been given the opportunity to really explore my power,” Beca said. She was choosing her words carefully. “I seem to have some resistance to harm and improved physical ability. I didn’t go to an institute or anything but I was very much discouraged from even talking about my power. Until I met Aubrey I’ve just been terrified to even think about it. But Aubrey says we can be safe here.” She wanted to make herself seem as weak and unthreatening as possible.

“You can be,” he said. “We can talk details tomorrow. I’m sure you two have had a rough couple of nights on the road and just want some rest.” He stood up and hugged Aubrey briefly before he left the room. They talked a while with the others, nothing important. Beca began to yawn. She was still catching up on the nights of sleep she missed watching over Aubrey.

“You tired?” Aubrey asked, brushing a kiss to her temple.

“Yeah,” Beca said. “I really just need more sleep, babe.”

“Oh, you two are together?” one of the others asked.

“Yeah,” Aubrey said. “And we’re off to bed. Been a long few days.” They got up and headed back upstairs to their room. They got ready for bed and slid under the covers. Aubrey could sense that something was wrong with Beca. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. She slid her arm over Beca’s waist. “You seem quiet.”

“Just really tired babe,” Beca said. “It’s been a really stressful and weird couple of days.”

“It really has,” Aubrey said.

“And I kind of miss Barden,” Beca said truthfully. “I miss the girls.”

“Me too,” Aubrey said. “I just hope they’re all okay.” The blankets felt heavy on Beca’s body and it was oddly claustrophobic. She focused on the weight of Aubrey’s arm instead, repeated in her mind over and over that they were in a safe place until they fell asleep.

Beca felt a little better in the morning, since they slept late. She was beginning to feel like she was making a dent in the sleep she’d missed in the few days since they’d left Barden. She could hear faint noises of people moving around and Aubrey was already awake when she rolled over, just looking out the window.

“Hey,” Beca said. Aubrey turned back to face her.

“Hey,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Getting there,” Beca said. “My fault for skipping sleep. I’ll catch up eventually.”

“I still think it’s pretty close to the sweetest thing in the world though,” Aubrey said. “Do you want to shower?”

“No, let’s do breakfast first,” Beca said. “I don’t want to make people wait around.” Aubrey nodded and they got up and dressed as warmly as they could considering they only had Georgia-appropriate attire with them, then headed downstairs for breakfast. They smiled at some of the others as they entered, and Beca looked around the crowded room for a moment. There was an alcove leading off to one side and she could see JP inside with a couple of the others. When he looked up and saw Beca, he abruptly closed the door with an almost glare on her face. She hadn’t even been close enough to hear if she wanted to.

Beca felt it again. That nervousness in the pit of her stomach like something wasn’t quite right here. JP seriously weirded her out. Aubrey spoke about him like he was this incredible kind of guy, but she just got the most sketchy vibe from him and she couldn’t explain it. But she didn’t know him and Aubrey did. So she filed it away under ‘things that made her nervous’ along with ‘nobody leaves but JP’ and ‘occasionally steals stuff’, and joined Aubrey for oatmeal and coffee.

They sat near three others, who sympathised about the sudden climate change. Jackson was from California and he literally had only shorts and shirts in his collection. JP had promised a winter wardrobe next time he went into town in exchange for what cash he had. Beca couldn’t stop the alarm going off in her head, because as the other two spoke, she learned that they also were giving him everything they had. It felt like a cult.

Eventually JP came out of the alcove with a couple of the others. Beca could feel his eyes on her without even turning around. She didn’t want to upset Aubrey but this guy was bad news, she could feel it. She got up, taking her and Aubrey’s dishes into the kitchen, rinsing them off and placing them in the dishwasher. She asked the woman in there, Cindy, if there was anything she could do to help. The woman replied that if she came back before lunch it’d be big help, so Beca promised that she and Aubrey would be back to lend a hand. 

She found Aubrey, who told her that JP wanted to see them both in the front room in an hour. Beca couldn’t get the gnawing feeling in her gut to go away. He was either going to try and hurt them, take all their cash, or something else stupid. She didn’t think this was even a super power thing, she just knew he was shady. And she was sure JP could tell she didn’t trust him. 

They made their way upstairs to shower before meeting JP. As Aubrey changed she remarked that they may as well unpack after they had their meeting. Beca just made a noncommittal noise and moved over to the window. Looking out at the snowy forest around them was pretty calming. She tried to balance her mind, but it just kept filling with bad thoughts about this guy. 

“Beca?” Aubrey said. “Let’s go.” Beca followed obediently and they made their way to a sitting room at the front of the house. JP was there, with the girl with the shaved head. Bianca, Beca remembered. 

“So,” he said. “If you’re going to stay here, we need to know a bit more about what we’re dealing with. Beca, you didn’t seem forthcoming with details last night. Anything you want to add?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any details to add,” Beca said. “I don’t know the limits of what I can do. I know I’m super strong and can be somewhat protected from harm as long as I can see what’s coming. I don’t know if there’s more to it or not. I really don’t. My growing up situation was not… ideal.”

“So you can be unstable?”

“Only if something triggers me,” Beca said. “Which since we stopped dealing with my father, has not happened once.” JP and Bianca held a whispered conversation and Beca felt a light hum begin in her chest. 

“Aubrey, how long are you intending on being here?” he asked.

“As long as we can be safe,” Aubrey said. “You know what I can do, JP. You know what people like EvoGenesis would do with it. I don’t want them to ever find me.”

“Beca, what about you?” he said. “We don’t know if you could be considered safe to stay here long term. How long before you can move on again?”

“What?” Beca asked. “I don’t understand.”

“JP,” Aubrey said. “Beca stays where I stay. We’re a package deal, we’re all each other has left.”

“She’s not stable, Aubrey,” JP said. “It’s not safe for any of us here if she stays. She’s really dangerous. What if she goes on a bender and flattens the place?”

“She wouldn’t do that,” Aubrey said. Beca’s head began to spin. She was being sucked underneath, she could feel the pressure rising in her.

“I can’t stay?” she asked in a timid voice. Aubrey’s heart broke. She sounded exactly the same way she used to when Aubrey first met her.

“JP, this is ridiculous,” Aubrey said. “This is supposed to be a safe place. You can’t just kick her out.”

“I’m not letting her stay,” he said. “It’s my choice. You’re more than welcome to stay, Aubrey, we go way back. But Beca is way too unknown and potentially disruptive. Dammit Aubrey, it’s not even safe for you to be anywhere near this girl.” Beca’s heart was pounding hard, she was going to lose control. Any minute.

“I’m not staying anywhere Beca isn’t welcome,” Aubrey said.

“I gotta go,” Beca interrupted. She got up and ran for the front door.

“I can take you back!” JP called after her as she bolted. Aubrey glared at him and he shrugged at her.

“The only definitive trigger Beca has is extreme emotional distress,” she said. “Her dad used to lock her in a cell and tell her she was a danger to everyone and that anyone who came into contact with her would never be safe. And we came here, and you’re telling her the exact same thing. She just wants to be safe, JP. And now she’s running because if she stays, she might level your little hideaway to the ground. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to follow her.”

“Aubrey,” he said. “She’s not safe for you.”

“Wrong,” she replied. “She’s the only safe thing for me.” She headed out and JP rolled his eyes and grabbed his coat before following her out.

Beca didn’t even know where she was running to. She just wanted to get as far away as she could, in case she hurt someone, hurt Aubrey. She knew JP wasn’t to be trusted. He wanted to separate them, called her dangerous. She began to cry and ran harder. She needed to keep going. But JP’s voice was starting to sound a lot like her dad’s and she wasn’t going to be able to stop herself. Her foot hit a tree root and she fell hard onto the hard, cold earth. Curling herself into a ball she began to rock back and forth, knowing it was about to happen. 

“I’m sorry, Bree,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

Aubrey was panicking. She had no idea where Beca had run to, no idea how far she’d gotten. JP was right on her heels. Then Aubrey heard an almighty crack, and a tree a long way up ahead began to fall.

“Beca!” she screamed. The crack was followed by another, and another, an unbelievable noise echoing throughout the area as the trees crashed into one another. Aubrey ran straight for the mess of falling trees, ignoring JP’s pleas to wait until it was safe. Climbing over some debris and a partially upheaved trunk, she saw Beca sitting in the centre of a circle, curled into a tight little ball. There was nothing surrounding her but demolished forest for a good fifty feet. 

Aubrey made her way over carefully, kneeling in front of the other girl who was crying and shivering. She touched her arm and Beca looked up.

“Did I run far enough?” she asked. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah,” Aubrey said, “they’re all okay. You ran far enough.” She pulled Beca into her arms, letting the smaller woman cry against her. Beca could feel eyes on her though and she pulled back.

“Why is he here?” Beca asked. “Not a smart move.”

“It just proves my point,” JP said. “You said you had some strength and invincibility. Of some capacity anyway. But you just blew this hole in the forest without even moving, which means some kind of telekinesis, or matter manipulation even. You’re a time bomb and as soon as you get your stuff, you’re gone.”

“Fine,” Aubrey said. “I expected better from you, JP. You always talked about having a safe place for anyone who was running. Beca is running just as much as I am.” 

“Unless you two want to get lost out here, I suggest you follow me back,” he said. Aubrey helped Beca get up and checked her over to make sure she was okay, and they followed JP back toward the house.

“You can stay,” Beca said almost inaudibly. Aubrey turned to look at her.

“What?”

“You can be safe here, Bree, you should stay,” she said. Aubrey glared at her.

“Don’t even start with that bullshit,” she said firmly, shocking Beca. “We just drove across the country, during which you stayed up all night just to protect me while I sleep. I’m not safer anywhere in the world than I am when I’m with you. So don’t you even think about suggesting I stay here and let them kick you out.” Beca nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. They were almost back at the house now, they could see it up ahead. So Aubrey hugged her again, the two of them standing there together. 

“I love you, Beca,” Aubrey said. 

“I love you too,” she replied. “I’m sorry I ruined this for us.”

“You ruined nothing,” she assured her. “I think something’s up with JP. He’s not normally like this.” They headed inside, avoiding everyone’s stares and grabbed their bags. Beca was glad they hadn’t bothered unpacking. It meant they could leave straight away. Aubrey grabbed her sweatshirt and stuck the few things she’d unpacked back into her bag and they dragged them back downstairs. 

“You’re leaving?” Jackson asked.

“JP’s an asshole,” Aubrey said. “Telling me I can stay but Beca can’t. Trying to get me to send her out on her own with no understanding of her power or how it works. So yeah, we’re leaving.” 

JP was on the front steps. He didn’t speak to them at all, they just dragged their stuff back to where they’d arrived, held it all tightly. He grabbed both their arms and they were back in the casino. It wasn’t the same room they arrived in, but it had the same kind of décor. It was a regular room and JP spoke as Beca opened the door, leading Aubrey out.

“Last chance Aubrey,” he said. 

“I don’t understand this,” she said. “All this talk about protecting innocent people. Beca knows nothing. Doesn’t want to hurt anyone. So you can take your chance and stick it up your ass. We’ll be better off back home in Barden, with people who know us, who love us and understand us.”

“There’s more of you?” he asked. “How will you know it’s safe to go back?”

“There’s a group there,” Aubrey said. “We’re family. As for knowing if it’s safe, we don’t need to know. Chloe will know. She’ll sense us coming and she’ll figure out a way to signal us. If it’s not safe, we’ll wait.” Something in JP’s eyes changed and Beca caught it. At the mention of Chloe, he looked intrigued.

“Bree, stop talking,” she said. “JP’s fishing for info. I don’t know why, but he is.”

“What?” Aubrey said.

“He’s up to something,” Beca said. “I know you said you have a history with this guy but from the second I met him I’ve had alarms going off in my head. Don’t say anything, let’s just go.” JP had no choice but to let them go. Beca closed the door and he sat down on the bed, pressing a button on his watch. It set a timer running for thirty minutes. Then he let out a long breath and closed his eyes.

It took a second for them to orient themselves. But they soon figured they were on the third floor. An evacuation map in the corridor showed them to the closest exit so they headed down to the stairs.

“Do you really want to go back to Barden?” Beca asked.

“I do,” Aubrey said. “I know that government place is near here. But… doesn’t it feel like something’s missing? Like things aren’t right? I miss Chloe, and the girls, and I feel like if they’re going to come for us, we may as well be somewhere we know we’re happy.”

“Okay, Barden it is,” Beca said. She found the exit and held it open for Aubrey. It was still the middle of the day but nobody was paying them any mind as they struggled out with their bags. A lone yellow taxi made its way up to them.

“Hello,” an incredibly deep voice said. “Have you just come from The Haven?” Beca was immediately suspicious.

“What do you know about The Haven?” she asked. “Who are you?”

“I’m Abraham,” he replied. “And I know that every few days for the past three weeks, people come out of that door after leaving The Haven. And I take them to someplace where they can make sense of what just happened, and what is happening.”

“Are you working with JP?” Aubrey asked.

“Oh, miss, no,” he said. “Never. But I can take you to someone who has all the answers you need to questions you might not even know you want to ask yet. I know it seems like an unordinary situation, but will you come with me?”

“What’s your gut saying, Beca?” Aubrey asked. “It was right when you thought something was off with JP, what’s it saying now?” Beca considered the man carefully. She didn’t have that bizarre feeling in her gut. 

“It’s saying let’s give it a whirl,” Beca said. “Why not? We need to regather before we head home.” Abraham got out and helped them with their luggage, letting them climb into the back together.

“It’s not far,” he said. “And there is no charge.” He drove away from the casino, humming melodically in the silence. It was calming to Beca, and she slid her hand into Aubrey’s. She felt a little better as they drove away. Soon enough, they pulled up at an old warehouse.

“What’s this place?” Beca asked.

“Trust me,” Abraham said. “Your questions will all be answered inside. Lara will be at the door, tell her I dropped you off and to take you to Gael. You’ll be safe.” Beca felt oddly comforted by this man’s voice. She nodded and reassured Aubrey, the two of them collecting their bags and heading for the door. 

Back in the hotel, JP’s watch sounded that the thirty minutes had expired. He picked up the room phone and dialled a number from memory.

“Yeah it’s me,” he said. “Posen just left, headed back to Barden, couldn’t keep her here. But there are some bonuses. Back in Barden there’s a whole group of them. She mentioned going back home to them. And from what she says, one is an empath. Said her name was Chloe, and she’d be able to sense when they were getting close. But be careful. Posen’s traveling with a girl called Beca. Super unstable, but dangerous. She just blew a fifty foot hole in the escarpment with her eyes closed and she’s apparently invincible and super strong to boot. She could be a hiccup.” Then he hung up, wrung his hands together briefly, and disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12

Beca stood in front of Aubrey and knocked on the door. A panel opened and Beca saw a woman with auburn hair looking out at them. The woman saw the bags, but said nothing until Beca spoke first.

“Are you Lara?” she asked.

“Yes,” she said. 

“Abraham just dropped us off,” Beca said. “We’re here to see Gael, we were in the mountains with JP.” The panel slid closed and there was a thunking noise as the door unlocked. The woman helped them bring their bags inside.

“You can leave them,” Lara said. “They’ll be safe. Gael is down here.”

“What the fuck is this place?” Beca asked, as they followed her. It wasn’t a big place. There weren’t any real walls either, it looked like mostly heavy curtains rigged up to make rooms. The only actual walls were on the furthermost wall where they were headed.

“Gael will explain everything,” Lara said. “What are your names?”

“Beca,” she replied. “This is Aubrey.” Lara nodded and stopped in front of a sliding door and knocked. There was a muffled call of ‘come in’ and Lara opened it. 

“Gael, this is Beca and Aubrey,” Lara said. “They’ve just come from the Haven. This is Gael.” 

Beca didn’t know what she was expecting. But this guy was… frail. Extremely slight. He looked tired, and he was wearing sweatpants and a t shirt with a knitted jacket over the top. He had glasses on and a beanie.

“Hello,” he said in a soft tone. “Please, sit down.” He didn’t attempt to get up, just gestured at a pair of chairs. Aubrey’s eyes were on the wall. It held a bank of computers, some running video and some showing other screens she couldn’t decipher if she tried.

“You’ve been to see JP?” he asked. 

“Dude, we’ve had a very shit couple of days so pardon me seeming like a total bitch right now but what the fuck is the place and what is going on?” Beca ranted. Gael just smiled at her.

“That’s a valid reaction,” he said. “The short version is that this thing with Rosato and EvoGenesis has been going on longer than just a couple of days. JP is involved. And people have been going to the Haven for security, but around half, or maybe more, come straight back out. And they come here and ask me the same thing. What’s going on?”

“JP is involved?” Aubrey asked.

“The merger between Rosato and EvoGenesis was announced a couple of days ago,” Gael said. “But it’s been coming for a lot longer. And JP was making some noise about a resistance. It wasn’t hard for them to track him down, even with his cloaking and teleporting. They just waited for him to be in town and snatched him up. But instead of taking him in, they cut him a deal.”

“Oh god,” Beca said. She’d known that guy wasn’t on the level.

“They let him keep his little hideaway,” Gael said. “And in return he would do them the occasional favour, which mostly involves selling out anyone who showed up to the Haven and had some kind of useful or potentially useful power. Which means that you two went up there, and now he knows what you can do and he’s told them all about you.”

“We literally just left,” Aubrey said.

“How long ago?” Gael asked.

“About half hour now?” Gael got up and moved stiffly over to the bank of computers. He settled himself into the chair and began scrolling through the indecipherable lines on one. 

“Yeah,” he said, pointing to a line. “This here. This is a phone call made from the room he brought you back to. He’s called someone and told them who you are, what you can do, and if he found out, where you’re headed next.”

“Fuuuck,” Beca said. “Bree, you told him about the girls.”

“Oh lord,” she said. “I feel sick. And I told him about Chloe.”

“What’s the matter?” he asked. 

“Um, there’s a group of us back home,” Beca said. “All on campus together, and he knows that’s where we were headed.”

“And Chloe?” Gael asked. “Why would she in particular be of interest?” Aubrey was paling so Beca had to explain.

“Chloe is power-empathic,” Beca said. “She can sense when there are gifted people around and she can tell how powerful they are. Which means to dudes like this she’s-”

“Basically a homing beacon,” Gael said. “You need to call her now and get her somewhere safe.”

“Neither of us have phones,” Beca said. Gael pulled out his own cell and handed it to her. She remembered Chloe’s number, so she dialled and waited for her to pick up. Except it rang out. Twice. 

“They already got her,” Aubrey panicked. “Beca, this is all my fault, I should have known JP was going to do something like this.”

“It’s okay,” Gael said. “You have time. Try someone else who will be able to go and find her quickly. If you guys are in school, she might just be in class or something.” Beca felt the dude had a valid point. 

“Bree, what’s Stacie’s number?” she asked. Aubrey recited it and Beca dialled, holding her breath. But Stacie picked up almost straight away.

“Stace it’s me,” Beca said. 

“Beca?” Stacie said. “Oh my god. Are you guys okay? Are you safe?”

“That’s a very complicated question and in an immediate sense the answer is yes, but in a long term sense probably not,” she said. “But Chloe is in danger. All of you are. Some shit hit the fan up here and the dude who was supposed to keep us safe sold us out so he knows about you, all the girls, and he knows not only about Chloe but that she’s an empath. You gotta go find her, and get her somewhere safe because you know more than anyone what they’d do with someone like her.”

“What happened?”

“It’s too long and complicated,” Beca said. “We’re headed back to Barden though, so keep your phone on and I’ll let you know when we’re getting closer. Just keep Chloe safe til I can get there, okay?”

“I’m on it,” Stacie said. “Stay smart, stay safe, okay?”

“Yeah,” Beca said. “You guys too.” She hung up and took Aubrey’s hand, calming the blonde almost immediately.

“It’s okay,” she said to her. “Stace is going to get her right now. They’ll be fine. Stacie is the smartest when it comes to this shit. She’ll keep them safe, Bree.” Gael let them take a moment to sort themselves out.

“The thing with JP is,” he said, “the people he sells out are all significantly more powerful than him. He doesn’t want anyone up there that can overthrow him. His number two, Bianca? Her power is that she can regenerate her hair at an advanced rate. Kind of nothing in the grand scheme. So what is it about you two that he absolutely needed gone?” Beca shot a look at Aubrey. There was no reason for them to trust this guy. For all they knew he could be in on it too.

“How do we know that we can trust you?” Aubrey asked. “Sorry, but I thought I could trust JP and that didn’t turn out so great.”

“No, it’s fair,” he said. “Let me start by saying this - I’m not gifted. I don’t have a power. I’m good with a computer, a little hacking, surveillance and stuff. But I’m not like you. Some of the people here are, and some are just like me. I’m invested in this fight because EvoGenesis ruined my family. Years ago. Killed my brother, my father. Almost killed me to get to them.” He tugged his beanie off and it revealed that the man was bald and there was an ugly, distinct scar wrapping around his head.

“Since that day, I’ve been invested in keeping tabs on them. Trying to figure out a way to stop them,” he said. “When everything changed a couple of months ago and it looked certain that Rosato was going to turn over all the patient information he had, it felt like… Things are coming to a head now. They’re looking to build an army, or a group capable of overthrowing one. And they'll take whatever and whoever they need to make sure they come out on top.”

“Okay,” Beca said. “So… I don’t know a lot about my power. Long story going back to childhood but the short version is that I have enhanced strength, I’m impervious to harm that I can see coming - like if you were to drive a car straight at me I’d be fine - and apparently there’s now some kind of telekinesis involved.”

“Telekinesis?”

“I’m not sure,” Beca said. “But I just ripped a hole in the forest or something up there with my eyes closed. Kinda lost my shit and that’s what happened as a result. He said I was unstable and unsafe and I wasn’t welcome.”

“That explains you,” he said. 

“But it doesn’t make sense,” Beca said. “Because he wanted Aubrey to stay. He kept trying to convince her to stay and send me away on my own. And she’s not weak-powered at all.” Gael thought for a moment.

“What’s your gift?” he asked her.

“I can manipulate the actions of people with my mind,” she said. “We were at the Rosato Institute together, when I was young. He was important to me.” He thought again for a moment. Saw their hands still entwined.

“And - pardon the personal question - you two are together?”

“Yeah,” Beca said.

“So, he definitely wanted you gone, Aubrey,” Gael said. “And he knew the easiest way to get you gone would be to make sure Beca left. Because you’d want to stay, all the history you share with him. So he needed to exploit the only deeper connection you had, which is Beca.”

“That seems about right,” Aubrey said. “Asshole. So what do we do now?”

“That’s completely up to you,” Gael said. “I won’t compel anyone to fight in whatever battle is coming up. It has to be a choice. But you want to go home?”

“I think we need to,” Beca said. “At the very least to make sure our friends are okay.”

“Then you can stay here until you’re ready to leave,” he said. “If you need to orient yourselves before you head off.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Aubrey asked.

“Not really,” he said. “Lara can settle you guys in. If you have any more questions, or think of anything that might be useful, let me know.” He looked tired so they assumed the talking was over. 

“Uh, thanks,” Beca said. Aubrey got up and they left Gael alone staring at his computers. Lara was waiting outside the door for them.

“This way,” she said. “Obviously, you’re free to come and go as much as you want. We’ve got showers, bathroom, food. And you’re safe here, I guarantee it.”

“Are we?” Aubrey asked. “We thought we were safe up on the mountain.”

“Yeah,” Lara said. “I know. But we mean it here. We’re not going to keep you captive, tell you what you can and can’t do. We’d appreciate some secrecy so if you can restrain from telling people who we are and where we are, that’d be great.”

“Well, okay,” Beca said. Lara pointed them to a curtained off cubicle and Beca slid the fabric open. It wasn’t big. The bed was smaller than the one they’d had at the Haven, and Lara had seemingly already deducted they were a couple. There was a chest at the end of the bed, and two mismatched chairs made up all the furniture in the room. But if felt a thousand times safer than the stupid cabin on the mountain to Beca. 

“So the bathrooms are back towards Gael’s office, along that wall,” Lara said. “Figured they should probably have actual walls. If you keep heading down this hallway you’ll find a kind of communal area. Couple couches and whatever, a kitchen. Cook whatever, just clean up whatever you use.”

“How many people are here?” Aubrey asked.

“Apart from you two, Gael and myself, there’s maybe twelve,” she said. “One’s the doc. But a lot of people come and go here. Some are helping Gael get info so they often pop up for a day or two and then go again.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Beca asked. Lara smiled but pre-empted it.

“If Gael forces people to stay and fight, he’s no better than Evo,” she said. “It kills him that he can’t fight. He wants justice for Art and his dad. But he can still do a lot from here. Couple of years ago he’d be the first one into the fray. So he settles for watching and planning.”

“Is he okay?” Aubrey asked. 

“Most days,” Lara said. “But he’ll never really be better. He gets headaches, tires easily, has seizures. The glasses are recent.”

“Can we help financially?” Aubrey asked. “We don’t have much in terms of knowledge, and I don’t even use my power. But we have money and we can help. Surely it’ll help the overhead for a while.”

“Why don’t you guys rest up,” Lara said. “Gael is probably resting now, but I’ll talk to him in a couple of hours.” She disappeared and the girls stashed their bags, not really bothering to unpack. They both crawled onto the bed, worn out by the drama of the day. As they always did, they ended up seeking each other out, tangling their legs and Aubrey slung an arm over Beca.

“So what’s our plan?” she asked.

“Well, back to Barden to make sure the girls are okay,” Beca said. “But do we drive? Is it even worth trying to keep it low profile if these guys know where we’re headed?”

“Part of me wants to play it safe,” Aubrey said. “The other part doesn’t want to waste a couple of days driving back when we can fly and be there tomorrow.”

“But let’s not be stupid,” Beca said. “We shouldn’t just fly in until we know it’s safe. We should try like Nashville or something until we can hear back from the girls.”

“So fly into Nashville, buy a prepaid cell and then try get a hold of Stacie?” Aubrey said. “Or buy the phone, call Stacie, then fly to Nashville?”

“Phone first,” Beca said. “No point even trying to go back if it’s not clear. But that can be tomorrow.” Aubrey nodded. Beca thought she looked tired. 

“Why don’t you take a nap?” Beca said. “I’ll stay here for a bit and then go and see about cooking something before I wake you.”

“I don’t know why I’m tired,” Aubrey said. “It’s not like I was staying awake to watch over you.”

“It’s been a fairly traumatic couple of days,” Beca said. “And I’m used to people fucking hating me and telling me I’m not welcome, not feeling safe. But you’re not. So it’s hitting you harder. So rest, Bree. I’ll stay here til you fall asleep.” Aubrey nodded and curled into her. Beca shuffled around a bit and stroked Aubrey’s hair, humming to her softly as her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. 

Beca slowly extricated herself and then left Aubrey to sleep, covering her with one of the blankets neatly folded at the end of the bed and taking her shoes off for her. Then she headed to the bathroom, taking note that it was clean and they at least had hot water. They didn’t need much else, they’d suffered through shitty hotel bathrooms. Then she went looking for the common area Lara had been talking about.

There were a handful of people down there, mostly lounging around. One was reading at a ridiculous speed, thick books piled up next to him. They all looked up as Beca approached, offering smiles but they weren’t a talkative bunch. Beca could get behind that. She saw Lara in the kitchen area making coffee and decided that it was a good idea.

“Can I get in on that?” Beca asked, gesturing to the pot. Lara poured her a cup. 

“Sugar?”

“Nah,” Beca said. “Got a minute? I have a couple questions.”

“As long as you don’t mind coming back to the front door with me,” Lara said. “Still got a couple hours before I’m off.” They both took their coffee with them and headed back to the front of the warehouse. There was only one stool there, so Beca let Lara sit since this was obviously her post or something.

“So when you guarantee we’re safe here,” Beca said. “How sure is that guarantee?”

“There’s a doc who stays here permanently,” Lara said. “And we have two other guys rolling around who are here all the time. One trades off with me for the door. The other, well, he’s the security. As long as he’s here, anything within a boundary that just reaches outside the warehouse is safe. Protected. We’re invisible to anything outside, we look just like a derelict structure. It’s like what JP does I guess.”

“Didn’t look that way when we rolled up,” Beca said.

“Yeah, but you came with Abraham,” Lara said. “A lot of things don’t apply to him that apply to most people. He’s… yeah. Abraham is Abraham, it’s hard to explain. He can see through things and if you’re with him, you kinda can too.”

“That’s handy,” Beca said. She sipped her coffee. “You and Gael keep talking about some big fight. How certain are you that this is all going to end up in a battle?”

“I’m a hundred percent certain that it will,” Lara said. “Gael’s… not an idiot. He talks to everyone. Online. He’s read more than enough to know what EvoGenesis want with us. They want to take us in, use us as soldiers or figure out how to synthetically generate our abilities to populate a force. They want to start a war. The only decision is do we let ourselves be used as pawns, or do we fight for our right to quietly and peacefully exist? I mean, I don’t want to fight. Do you?”

“Touché,” Beca said. “I really don’t. How soon?”

“Now that the merger is public, I’d say sooner rather than later,” Lara said. “My power is not much in a physical fight. I can shoot a gun though, fight enough to hold my own. But Gael has people who are ready to ensure Evo don’t gain power. And they all have people who feel the same. We are the minority, sure, but we’re only asking for the right to exist.”

“And he’s on the level?” Beca said. “I can trust this dude?”

“I’d throw myself into a volcano if he asked me to,” Lara said. “He’s the only reason I didn’t die alongside Art and Rafa. He barricaded the doorway long enough for me to bail out a window and run for my life.”

“You knew him before all this?” Beca asked.

“I was engaged to Art, Gael’s brother,” she said. She tugged at a chain around her neck and pulled out a ring. “Art was in a bar, drinking. I came in all pissed because I’d just found out the Army doesn’t allow powered soldiers. Part of some bullshit agreement to avoid exactly what EvoGenesis want - super soldiers or some shit. I’d wanted to be in the Army since forever. He bought me a beer and we got to talking. But yeah, Gael’s legit.”

“So I need to talk to Aubrey,” Beca said. “Because we absolutely have to go home and make sure we didn’t put all our friends in serious danger with this shit. But if it’s all the same to you, I want to bring them back here. We can help. Stacie’s smart. She’s super into the biology of how this all works. Reads more than any person I’ve seen in my life, she’d love to help Gael out. And she’d be of use to the doc with her gift. I’m not stable, but I can help if there’s a fight coming. And if this place is as safe as you say, then I’ll feel okay leaving Bree here with the other girls.”

“Gael would probably like someone to talk to,” Lara said with a smile. “And the more the merrier. But talk to whoever you need, go get whoever you like. You know where we are, so you can come back any time.”

“Last question,” Beca said. “How long have EvoGenesis been trying to snatch people up like this?”

“Since forever,” she said. “They came for Art about three years ago. He wouldn’t go. Stood his ground. That’s what got him killed.”

“I’m sorry,” Beca said. “Thanks for letting me ask a thousand questions. A lot of this shit, I have no idea how it works.”

“I’m getting that,” Lara said. “It’s okay. It’s overwhelming even if you do have an idea about what’s going on.” 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Beca said. She headed back to the kitchen area and had a look around in the cupboards. It wouldn’t be hard to pull something quick together, it was pretty well stocked.

She headed back to their bedroom to check on Aubrey. The blonde was still curled up and sleeping soundly under the blanket. Beca sank into one of the chairs and watched her for a moment. She loved her. Every now and then she’d take a moment just to remind herself that the only reason she was still going was Aubrey. She was going to do anything to make sure that they were safe and as much as Aubrey might hate it, that included fighting these assholes head on. 

She wanted the luxury of being fucking normal. Just a girl, in love with another girl. Eating dinner together, sleeping together, living together. Walking a stupid dog one day, maybe getting married. All without the pressure of what if hanging over them. Any fight would be worth it if she got to share that with her.

She watched her a few moments longer, then got up and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before going back to the kitchen to make a start on something to eat.


	13. Chapter 13

They ate quietly, not interacting much with the others who were staying there. But after cleaning up, they went to see if Gael was free. Because they had a plan now, one that would involve bringing a lot more girls back to this place. Beca had found Lara and asked if he was available. She said yes, if they kept it brief, because he was getting tired and a little dizzy. Beca promised they would.

“Thanks for seeing us again,” Beca said. “We just wanted to kind of let you know what was happening. Um, Aubrey and I are going to go back to Barden tomorrow just to check on our friends. But we want to bring them back. Keep them safe. Some of them will be useful to you guys. They won’t cause you any issues.”

“They’ll be useful?”

“We’ll let them explain,” Beca said. 

“But before we go,” Aubrey said. “We don’t have much to offer in terms of firepower, but you can keep our cash. We just need enough to get to Barden and back, the rest was for us to keep running, but I think we’re done.”

“Are you going to Barden straight away?” he asked.

“We’re planning on flying into Nashville first thing,” Beca said. “We’ll call and check with one of the girls that it’s safe.”

“I can leave travel arrangements with Lara,” he said. “I have people who can book flights. Be ready early. And thank you.” The man did look exceedingly tired, so they said goodnight and headed back to their cubicle. It was still kind of early but they decided to head to bed themselves, get as much rest as they could because things were still likely to be crazy for a little while. 

“You okay?” Beca asked, once they’d climbed into bed. Aubrey smiled and nodded but pulled Beca toward her and nuzzled into her. 

“You’re a baffling woman, sometimes,” Aubrey muttered. 

“What do you mean?” Beca asked.

“Since we’ve hit the road, stuff with JP aside,” she said. “You’re like… confident. And decisive and assertive. It suits you. It’s such a huge change from how you were when we first met.”

“It suits me?”

“I definitely find it a little bit hot,” Aubrey said. “Even if I’ve done a kind of role reversal. I’m not used to this kind of upheaval and continual uncertainty. But you’ve really stepped up.” Beca kissed her and they fell back against the bed.

“Do you think the curtains are soundproof?” Beca joked. Aubrey laughed for a second but kissed her soundly once more. 

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” Beca said. “But for the record, I’d be lost without you. I’m only handling this because I’ve got a reason to keep going, and it’s thinking about a future where you and I can just be a couple of girls in love, nothing weighing us down.” 

“Sounds pretty perfect to me too,” Aubrey said. She pressed a few soft kisses to Beca’s cheek and stayed curled into her side as they fell asleep. 

The next morning they were up early, took showers and packed their stuff. They needed to figure out their plan. Nashville was a safe distance from Barden so they could get there and then see whether Barden was safe. Lara found them as they were cleaning up their breakfast dishes.

“Come with me?” she asked. They followed her to a smaller office type area. Lara pulled open a drawer and pulled out some flight passes. 

“Gael told me to arrange for you two to get to Nashville today,” she said. “A car will be here to pick you up within the hour to take you to the airport.”

“Thanks,” Aubrey said. “Um… when we spoke to Gael, we promised him we’d leave our money. We need some to get the girls back here, but the rest of it? It’s back in the room.”

“You’re sure that’s what you want?” Lara asked. “We don’t want to leave you guys high and dry.”

“I’ll go get it,” Beca said. She hurried back to the room and grabbed the duffel where they’d stashed the cash they had, dumping their clothes out onto the bed for now. She dug through Aubrey’s bag and pulled out the cards they’d purchased as well, doing some quick calculations about how much they’d probably need to get their friends to safety, some emergency funds and stuck the rest in the bag too. Then she carried it down to the room and handed it to Lara. 

“I’ve got enough to keep us afloat til we get back,” Beca said. “But what Gael was saying yesterday… you guys need it, and we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is. But I kinda need the bag back.” Lara opened the bag and raised her eyebrow. But she didn’t comment, just opened a cabinet and tugged a canvas tote out of it, transferred the contents of Beca’s bag into it and sat back down.

“It’s very generous,” Lara said. “Thank you. Your friends? How many are there?”

“There’s eight,” Aubrey said. “We started a group on campus because we felt isolated and wanted a bit of community, you know? We’re family, basically.”

“It might be a tight squeeze,” Lara said. “We’ll make it work. Go get yourselves ready. If you want you can leave some of your stuff here, since you’re planning on coming back. Easier to travel when you only have a carry on. Either of you good at memorising numbers?” Beca nodded.

“Yeah,” Beca said. Lara recited a phone number.

“That’s a line to here,” she said. “Don’t use a public phone. If you run into trouble or need anything, call it and we’ll do what we can.”

“Thank you,” Aubrey said.

“Corbin by the door will let you out when your car arrives,” she said. “Travel safe. Be smart. And don’t forget - Evo will do anything to bring you in.” They headed back to the cubicle and Beca repacked their stuff so that they just had one smaller duffle and Beca’s messenger bag. They left the other stuff packed away, the two of them just sitting for a few moments in silence before they went to the front door to wait. Corbin nodded at them and kept watch, gesturing when the car came close.

“My advice would be check in as late as possible,” he said. “Makes you harder to follow.”

“Will do,” Beca said. “Ready Bree?”

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s do it.” They quickly got into the car, the man already aware that they were headed to the airport. Beca’s hand found Aubrey’s and she squeezed softly. 

“We’ll go inside straight away,” Beca said. “Find a place to buy a phone. Call Stacie and see if the girls can get out, maybe even meet us in Nashville. Get some coffee, wait until right before boarding closes.” Aubrey nodded.

“I feel like a bit of an idiot,” Aubrey admitted. “Giving away so much to JP.”

“You shouldn’t feel like an idiot,” she replied. “He should definitely feel like a traitorous piece of shit. But thinking you could trust someone and being let down isn’t a comment on your character, Bree, it’s a comment on theirs.”

The ride was uneventful and they thanked the driver before they slid out, again instinctively taking each other’s hands as they made their way inside. Beca spotted an electronics stand and scoped out a cheap phone handset, Aubrey disappearing into the store next door. She came back out with a pair of baseball caps just as Beca was sliding the sim card into the cell. 

“Nice thinking,” Beca said. “It all feels very clandestine.” She hit the power button and waited for the phone to boot. Aubrey was adjusting the navy cap on her head and Beca smiled.

“You look good,” she said. She handed the phone to Aubrey while she put her own cap on, and Aubrey dialled Stacie’s number. 

“Hello?” came Stacie’s voice.

“Stace?” Aubrey said. 

“Shit, Aubrey,” Stacie said. “Please tell me you’re not anywhere near Barden right now.”

“No,” Aubrey replied. “We’re flying into Nashville today, we want you guys to come back here with us.”

“Do not come to Nashville,” Stacie said. “Bree, don’t come anywhere near here.”

“What’s going on?” Aubrey asked. “Stacie, what’s wrong?” Beca began to get a sick feeling in her stomach, and she could only hear one end of the conversation. 

“They came last night,” Stacie said. “Most of the girls are okay. We’re hiding out, ran as far as we could. Cynthia Rose got hurt pretty bad, but I managed to get her back just fine. But Aubrey, they got Chloe.” Beca saw Aubrey’s jaw drop and saw her face pale, so she wrapped an arm around her to hold her up, the other hand taking the phone.

“Stace?”

“Beca, they took Chloe,” Stacie said. “It’s not safe for you guys to come near here. They’ve got her because they know you guys will go after her. They’re going to use you as bait. They came looking for Bree and you, and when they saw you guys weren’t here, they took her.”

“Shit,” Beca said. 

“How did they know what she can do?” Stacie asked.

“Our safe contact in the mountains turned out to be working for the bad guys,” Beca said. “You all need to get here now. Stace, I’m not messing around. We’ve got a safe place, people who can help. Where are you?”

“I’m not going to say it over the phone,” Stacie said. “But if you remember when Lily was telling us about her cousin? That’s where we are, the older one.” Beca thought back. Lily’s cousins were in Japan, that made no sense. The older one’s name was… Anderson. 

“Hang on,” Beca said. She quickly opened the map application on her phone and looked for Barden, then zoomed out a little, moved in a circle around where might be within driving distance. She saw an Anderson in South Carolina, only a few hours away from Barden.

“Right,” Beca said. “I know where you are.”

“You can’t come here,” Stacie said. “We need to make a plan but you can’t be here. That’s what they want.”

“Buy a new phone,” Beca said. “Call me back on this number in an hour and I’ll tell you what we’ve come up with. But we’re okay, Stacie. Just keep the other girls safe and we’ll see you soon.”

“Okay,” Stacie said. She hung up and Beca turned to Aubrey was crying silently. 

“I know,” Beca said. “This is the worst outcome we could have hoped for. They’ve got Chloe. But we’ll get her back, you hear me? We’re gonna get back to Gael and Lara and I’m going to get them to show me how to figure out this power bullshit and I’m going to tear every building that those bastards have apart until I find her.” Aubrey nodded but clutched Beca’s jacket for a second, so Beca wrapped her arms around her and held her. 

“Okay,” Aubrey sniffled eventually. “What’s the next step?” Beca dialled the number she memorised that morning.

“Yes,” came Lara’s voice.

“It’s Beca,” she said. “We were too late. They hit the girls last night. Snatched Chloe up.”

“Shit,” Lara said.

“Stacie said they’ll use her as bait for us, but let’s be real, she’s a homing beacon to anyone with a power,” Beca said. “The others got out okay, they’re in a safe place, but I need to get them here.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“Stacie took care of it,” Beca said. “We need to come back to the warehouse and put a plan in motion.”

“I’m sending the car back,” Lara said. “Wait inside the door til he pulls up.” There was a click as she hung up and Beca took Aubrey back toward the door.

“Lara’s sending the car back,” Beca said. “Stacie and the girls are in Anderson, South Carolina. Nearest major airport would be what, I don’t know.”

“There’s a regional airport in Anderson,” Aubrey said. “Open to the public. I’ve got an aunt in South Carolina.”

“Right,” Beca said. “That’s helpful at least. Charter a plane? Is that even easy?”

“Gael will probably know,” Aubrey said. They didn’t say a word again until they’d gotten back to the warehouse. Lara was waiting for them and took them straight to see Gael. 

“Lara says there’s a problem,” he said. 

“I called Stacie this morning to see if it was clear to fly down to Nashville before heading into Barden,” Beca said. “Evo got there last night. They snatched Chloe up and did a little damage. The girls are hiding out in Anderson, South Carolina.”

“Lara, can you call Meehan?” Gael said. “See if he can do us a favour.”

“Sure,” she said, stepping out of the room.

“There’s an airport there,” Gael said. “We know someone in the area. They may be able to help us get your friends out here. But there are a few questions we need to answer quickly. Where are they holding Chloe? What are they doing to her? How are they going to use her to get to you both?”

“Well, you can work on those questions all you like,” Beca said. “I have a better question - is there anyone here or anyone you know that can help me learn how to control my abilities? Because I’m going to get her back, god dammit. I know there’s a fight coming and I know that I’ll probablyhave to do some violent things, but I at least want to know that I’m not going to accidentally kill everyone in a ten mile radius.”

“There is someone who can help you,” Gael said. “I can call Abraham. It may take a few days to get the clarity you want, Beca.”

“Then it takes a few days,” Beca said. “Call him.” Lara came back in. 

“Meehan can get the girls on a plane out today,” Lara said. “If they can get to the airport in the next few hours.”

“Stacie was going to call back,” Aubrey said. “Any minute now. She was getting a new phone.” The phone in Beca’s hand rang, so she picked it up.

“Stace?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Do we have a plan?”

“I’m going to put Lara on,” Beca replied. “You can trust her, okay? She can get you guys here, and you’ll all be safe. How’s CR?”

“Still tired, but the worst is over,” Stacie said. “I’ve been sitting with her all night, just in case. And uh - Ashley has been protecting us. Turns out her deal? It’s not just fairy lights.”

“What?” Beca asked.

“I’ll explain when we get there,” Stacie said. “Let me talk to Lara.” Beca handed the phone off and turned back to Gael, as Lara stepped outside again so she didn’t interrupt them. 

“Who will Abraham take me to?” she asked.

“Abraham will help you,” Gael said. “He’s… hard to explain.”

“I need to take Aubrey with me,” Beca said. “I know it seems stupid but after everything we’ve learned about me and my abilities, it’s that she’s the best thing to keep me level if things are going nuts. Actually, Stacie wouldn’t be a bad move either.”

“What do you mean?” Aubrey asked.

“Right,” Beca said, realising she didn’t actually know this bit. “When she pulled me out of class and told me that shit was going down, I started to get a bit… you know. Felt a little explodey. But she did her thing and brought me back down.”

“That’s good to know,” Aubrey said. “Just in case.”

“What’s her thing?” Gael asked.

“I feel like you two would get along like a house on fire,” Beca said. “She’s all about the biology of this shit, smart as anything, reads every new piece of info she can get her hands on. She helped me understand this stuff, because I knew nothing until I got to Barden. And she can manipulate existing biological signs in people. She’s done it with me, slowed my heart rate down. As long as there’s a sign of life, she can make something happen. She’d be useful from a medical standpoint, definitely, but she’d also be able to stop me blowing the warehouse to the ground.”

“She sounds interesting,” Gael said. 

“Then you’ve got Chloe,” Beca said. “Who is a psych major, and wants to study the psychological impact of being powered. And then Bree here, who likes to think about it from a philosophical standpoint. So I got lucky with all of them, and that explains why I’m willing to do anything to make sure every single one of my friends is safe.”

“Sorry,” Lara said, coming back into the room. “The girls will be here tonight. Your friend Stacie is moving them all now.” She handed Beca back the phone.

“Cool,” Beca said.

“So we’ll get Abraham to come by tomorrow,” Gael said. “You two should rest up. Your friends will be here, we’ll settle them in and we can make moves from there. If you don’t mind giving Lara and I a moment?” The two girls left and Lara sat down.

“You okay?” she asked, worried that something was wrong.

“Oh, I’m fine,” he said. “This is about them. Beca will be going to see Abraham, and Aubrey will be going with her. I need you to go with them and deal with Aubrey.”

“Deal with her how?” Lara asked. “I’m not going to black bag her, Gael.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gael said. “I would never ask you to do that. It was probably a poor word choice. Aubrey’s gift is that she can manipulate the actions of others with the power of her mind alone.”

“Whoa.”

“Whoa indeed,” Gael agreed. “But she’s been scared into shutting that part of herself off, which is understandable. She spent a few years at the Rosato Institute, that’s how they got mixed up with Jean Pierre.”

“Ah shit,” she said. “That’s why they’re looking for her, he’d have told them everything he knows about her.”

“Definitely,” he replied. “So as much as Beca is the one here with the firepower and resistance to harm, this fight isn’t about what Beca can do. Aubrey will be the one who has to end it. She’s going to be a tough one to convince, but she can unilaterally end this conflict with mere thoughts aimed at the right people. And that’s why I need you.” Lara understood.

“Yeah, I got it,” she said. “I can do it. She’s a pretty rational person. And if I show her the right thing, she’ll get it.”

“Good,” he said. “Do we have enough space for the girls?” 

“I’ll get Hayley to help me out,” Lara said. “Apparently they won’t mind close quarters so I’ll bunk them two to a room.”

“Beca said Stacie can help with medical,” he said. “She can manipulate biological signs.”

“Christ that’s a handy power,” Lara said. “I’ll have her check in with the doc after they get here and everyone is assured that everyone else is okay. Do you need anything before I do a few things?”

“Some tea would be nice,” he said. “I’d get up but my left leg isn’t playing real nice today. I’d rather save the energy for the bathroom, you know?”

“Gael, you’re my brother,” Lara said. “If you need me to fucking carry you to a bathroom, I’m gonna do it. I’ll call Corbin and see if he can’t get you that wheelchair we talked about. That leg is having more off days than on.”

“Thank you,” he said. “Lara?”

“Yeah?”

“These girls,” he said. “They might be the difference in our side winning. I don’t want to force them… but it’s a nice thought, winning. Isn’t it?” Lara paused for a moment. She and Gael had talked a lot over the recent months about the statistical chances of them winning a fight like the one that was looming. Most of the time, the odds were not on their side. But now… Beca with her firepower, Stacie able basically keep the virtually dead alive and Aubrey…. 

“It kinda is,” Lara said with a smile. “I’ll get you that tea.”


End file.
